Self-reported characteristics of postictal headaches

We explored the characteristics of postictal headaches (PIH) by telephone survey of 372 patients attending an epilepsy clinic. Overall, 45% experienced PIH and 21% had PIH after every seizure: Of this group, 39% described their headaches as severe. In contrast, 10% of patients with occasional PIH described the headaches as severe. Patients with four or fewer seizures a year were more than twice as likely to have PIH after every seizure than were those with more frequent seizures (p = 0.003). Seventy-three percent of patients with PIH did not have headaches other than seizure-associated headaches. Healthcare providers should consider PIH in assessing the effect of seizures on quality of life (QOL) of patients with epilepsy.