OBJECTIVES: About 3.5 million Hungarian suffer from regular headaches. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence, risk factors, causes and symptoms of headaches among university students.

METHODS: We carried out a quantitative, cross-sectional study between 2021.03.01. and 2021.11.30. We chose university students aged from 18 to 45 years old who suffered from headache in the last 3 months with non-probability targeted sampling method (n=111). Opioid users, those with mental disorders or cancer or answered incorrectly were excluded (n=8). A questionnaire was used for data collection, which consisted of self-administered and standard surveys (Athens Insomnia Scale, PSS). Beside descriptive statistics, χ²-test, independent samples t-test, ANOVA and correlation analysis were calculated with SPSS 22.0 software (p<0.05).

RESULTS: We detected tension (63.06%), migraine (8.11%), cluster (4.5%) and mixed (24.32%) primary headaches. Intensity of the pain is significantly correlates with the frequency of occurrence and its duration (p<0.05). However, pain level does not correlate with stress level, development of sleep disorders, types of headaches, the decreasing of concentration skills and learning methods (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The onset of headaches is a prevalent issue among students. Lifestyle change is an essential part of treating headaches, so it is important to have a balanced rhythm of life, regular exercise, a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals, adequate fluid intake and relaxation techniques, and the use of autogenic training.