GPs are more likely to prescribe headache drugs to middle-aged women than men, a study has claimed. Researchers at King's College London found women aged between 45 and 54 were three times as likely to visit their GP about headaches while men were more likely to be referred to hospital.

Prescribing was most common for women aged 45 to 54, who were given 78 prescriptions for every 100 consultations. They also found one in three women were given migraine drugs compared to one in four men, while women aged 15 to 24 were the group most likely to see their GP about headaches. In a study of 253 GP practices over a nine-year period, it was found women's consultation rate for headaches was 6.4 out of every 100 per year compared to 2.5 for men. Headaches are the most common neurological symptom seen by neurologists and family doctors. They also rank among the top ten reasons for consulting a doctor and account for 20 per cent of sick leave taken by workers.

The study found there were more than 570,000 headache consultations made over the period by 413,221 patients over the age of 15. The authors said: "Theses results provide age-specific and age-standardised estimates for headache consulting in general practice, in a addition to prescribing and referral to specialist care.

"Consultations are highest in young women and hospital referrals peak in middle-aged men. "Research is needed into reasons for referral, and on better ways of delivering headache services." The researchers reported their findings in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.