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Original Article
Online Published: 09 Feb 2026
 


Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah

Qout Eid D. Alhejaili, Shayma Adel Albunasser, Sadeem Mohammed A. Alsaif, Shahad Muhammad Asghar, Hatoun Ali Kheyami, Almas Abdullah A. Aloufi, Fatmah Ali Alsharif, Lobna Mohamed Saber Hassan.


Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of headaches among medical students in Madinah, focusing on risk factors, symptoms, and identifying groups highly affected by headaches, in addition to deter mining their sociodemographic features.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out from November 2023 to March 2024 at Al-Rayan Medical Colleges in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, utilizing a survey. Undergraduate medical students older than 18 years made up the study population; non-medical students, the general public, and students younger than 18 years or older than 30 years were excluded. Information was gathered using a three-part online questionnaire consisting of demographic inquiries, headache characteristics, and headache risk factors.
Results: This study included 232 students who were aged from 18 to 30 years. Among the reported headache locations, the frontal region took the lead at 38.1%, and the highest prevalence was among third-year students. Most headaches exhibited a sudden onset (63.5%). Evening hours mark the peak time for headaches (60%). Stress (34.2%) and sleep disturbance (32.9%) emerge as the predominant aggravating factors. Education level was significantly associated with pain severity (p-value = 0.014). This could reflect differing stressors and pressures over time. Daily study hours were highly significant with pain severity (p-value = 0.002). Excessive study was linked to worse severity.
Conclusion: The prevalence of primary headaches was significant, and the majority of students did not seek medical care, instead relying on analgesics to relieve their headaches. Stress/tension, sleep disturbance, and prolonged studying hours were the top perceived headache triggers among students.

Key words: Headache, medical students, migraine, tension-type headache, prevalence, Saudi Arabia


 
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Pubmed Style

Alhejaili QED, Albunasser SA, Alsaif SMA, Asghar SM, Kheyami HA, Aloufi AAA, Alsharif FA, Hassan LMS. Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491

Web Style

Alhejaili QED, Albunasser SA, Alsaif SMA, Asghar SM, Kheyami HA, Aloufi AAA, Alsharif FA, Hassan LMS. Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=303510 [Access: June 27, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Alhejaili QED, Albunasser SA, Alsaif SMA, Asghar SM, Kheyami HA, Aloufi AAA, Alsharif FA, Hassan LMS. Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Alhejaili QED, Albunasser SA, Alsaif SMA, Asghar SM, Kheyami HA, Aloufi AAA, Alsharif FA, Hassan LMS. Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. IJMDC. (2026), [cited June 27, 2026]; 10(2): 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491


Harvard Style

Alhejaili, Q. E. D., Albunasser, . S. A., Alsaif, . S. M. A., Asghar, . S. M., Kheyami, . H. A., Aloufi, . A. A. A., Alsharif, . F. A. & Hassan, . L. M. S. (2026) Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. IJMDC, 10 (2), 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491


Turabian Style

Alhejaili, Qout Eid D., Shayma Adel Albunasser, Sadeem Mohammed A. Alsaif, Shahad Muhammad Asghar, Hatoun Ali Kheyami, Almas Abdullah A. Aloufi, Fatmah Ali Alsharif, and Lobna Mohamed Saber Hassan. 2026. Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (2), 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491


Chicago Style

Alhejaili, Qout Eid D., Shayma Adel Albunasser, Sadeem Mohammed A. Alsaif, Shahad Muhammad Asghar, Hatoun Ali Kheyami, Almas Abdullah A. Aloufi, Fatmah Ali Alsharif, and Lobna Mohamed Saber Hassan. "Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10 (2026), 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Alhejaili, Qout Eid D., Shayma Adel Albunasser, Sadeem Mohammed A. Alsaif, Shahad Muhammad Asghar, Hatoun Ali Kheyami, Almas Abdullah A. Aloufi, Fatmah Ali Alsharif, and Lobna Mohamed Saber Hassan. "Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10.2 (2026), 639-648. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Alhejaili, Q. E. D., Albunasser, . S. A., Alsaif, . S. M. A., Asghar, . S. M., Kheyami, . H. A., Aloufi, . A. A. A., Alsharif, . F. A. & Hassan, . L. M. S. (2026) Prevalence of primary headaches among medical students at Al-Rayan Colleges in Madinah. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (2), 639-648. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765937491




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