5th Edition of International Neurology Conference 2026

Abstract

Background: Acute post-traumatic headache is a common consequence of traumatic brain injury and may have a substantial impact on patients' daily functioning and quality of life. Insomnia is also frequently reported following traumatic brain injury and may coexist with and exacerbate the impact of post-traumatic headache. Assessment of headache-related disability and insomnia is therefore important to describe the clinical burden experienced by patients with acute post-traumatic headache. The Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) is a validated instrument used to assess the impact of headache on daily life, while the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) evaluates the severity of insomnia. Objective: To determine the relationship between headache-related disability assessed using HIT-6 and insomnia severity in patients with acute post-traumatic headache. Methods: This was an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design. The study included patients with post-traumatic headache with an onset of 1–3 months who attended the Neurology and Neurosurgery outpatient clinics at H. Adam Malik General Hospital, Medan, and affiliated hospitals. Headache-related disability was assessed using the HIT-6 questionnaire, while insomnia severity was assessed using the ISI questionnaire. The relationship between HIT-6 and ISI scores was analyzed using Spearman's correlation test. A total of 45 patients were included in the study. Results: The median age of participants was 41 years (range 23–57 years), and 26 (57.8%) were male. The median HIT-6 score was 52 (range 28–62). Fourteen patients (31.1%) had HIT-6 scores <49, 14 (31.1%) had scores of 50–55, 13 (27.8%) had scores of 56–59, and 4 (10.0%) had scores >60. The median ISI score was 17 (range 9–28). Thirteen patients (28.9%) had ISI scores of 8–14, 17 (37.8%) had scores of 15–21, and 15 (33.3%) had scores of 22–28. Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation between HIT-6 and ISI scores (r=0.626; p<0.001), indicating a strong relationship between greater headache-related disability and greater insomnia severity. Conclusion: Headache-related disability is significantly and strongly associated with insomnia severity in patients with acute posttraumatic headache. Greater headache impact was associated with more severe insomnia. Assessment and management of both headache-related disability and sleep disturbances may therefore be important components of clinical care in patients with acute post-traumatic headache.