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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Risk factors for tension headache include:

  • Being a woman. One study found that almost 90 percent of women and about 70 percent of men experience tension headaches during their lifetimes.
  • Being middle-aged. The incidence of tension headaches appears to peak in the 40s, though people of all ages can get this type of headache.

DS00304

Feb. 7, 2009

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