Condition (MeSH)
Tension-Type Headache
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 130 trials for Tension-Type Headache or a narrower condition beneath it. GlaxoSmithKline has the most among industry and government lead sponsors, with 2.
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Trials per phase (log scale)
130 of the 130 trials are tagged with Tension-Type Headache itself; the rest are tagged with a narrower condition beneath it.
When did Tension-Type Headache trials start? (24)
Shown in this order: most recent first, 1990 onwards. 2026 is partial: trials registered with a 2026 start date so far, not a full year.
Trials over time, by phase
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 2/3
- Phase 3
- Phase 4
- Not applicable
- Observational
Top of scale: 15
Trials registered with a start date in each year, 1990 onward, stacked by phase (complete years only; the current partial year is in the table's notes). The table below lists the same counts, most recent years first.
| Year | Trials started |
|---|---|
| 2026 (partial year) | 9 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2017 | 5 |
Showing 10 of 24 earlier years.
Forecast of the full-year count, planned starts included, not rows of this table: about 11 trials starting in 2026 and about 13 in 2027, the average of the 24 months through September, counted as registered and carried forward. The rows of this table count trials registered so far with a start date in the year, planned starts included; the forecast looks ahead to the count for the whole year, so it is not the same measure. In backtests on conditions of this size, forecasts made part-way through the year were typically off by about 28 percent and ran about 20 percent low against the count later registered; forecasts made before the year began were off by about 39 percent and ran about 37 percent low against the count later registered. These figures rest on a few years of history (target years from 2018 to 2025, varying by figure), place each condition as it is mapped today rather than as it was then, and score against a count for the newest year that was still being revised. Only condition series were scored.
Prediction, not a registry value: median of 36 months from start to primary completion across 10 trials still running at the 2026-10-09 snapshot; registered median of 10 months across 69 trials with a primary completion typed Actual. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov / AACT (CTTI), public domain.
What phase are Tension-Type Headache trials in? (8)
Shown in this order: phase order.
Show the trials by phase as a table
| Phase | Trials |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 1 |
| Phase 2 | 4 |
| Phase 2/3 | 3 |
| Phase 3 | 8 |
| Phase 4 | 3 |
| Not applicable | 80 |
| Observational | 30 |
| Expanded access | 1 |
How many Tension-Type Headache trials are recruiting? (9)
Shown in this order: the order a trial moves through, from not yet recruiting to unknown.
| Status | Trials |
|---|---|
| Not yet recruiting | 10 |
| Recruiting | 12 |
| Enrolling by invitation | 5 |
| Active, not recruiting | 3 |
| Available | 1 |
Showing 5 of 9 statuses.
Status as registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Each trial is counted once.
Which lead sponsors run the most Tension-Type Headache trials? (1)
Shown in this order: most trials first. Lead sponsors the registry classes as industry, NIH, US federal, other government or network. A hospital or university the registry files as government can appear here. Sponsors it classes as academic or other are shown on the full page, because that class cannot separate an institution from a named investigator.
| Sponsor | Trials |
|---|---|
| GlaxoSmithKline | 2 |
Interventions as named in the registry (15)
Shown in this order: most trials first.
| Drug | Trials |
|---|---|
| Exercise | 3 |
| Massage | 3 |
| combined treatment | 2 |
| Paracetamol marketed formulation | 2 |
| Control (placebo) group | 2 |
Showing 5 of 15 interventions.
These are the names sponsors entered on ClinicalTrials.gov that we have not matched to a single molecule. Some are drugs under a brand or code name; others are procedures, doses or arm labels.
Which serious adverse events do Tension-Type Headache trials report? (5)
Shown in this order: most subjects affected first. Subjects affected summed across trials, a cross-trial signal, not a rate.
| Adverse event | Subjects affected | Trials |
|---|---|---|
| Face oedema | 1 | 1 |
| Hypertension crisis | 1 | 1 |
| Loss of consiousness | 1 | 1 |
| Seizure | 1 | 1 |
| Severe Acute Pancreatitis | 1 | 1 |
Which publications cover Tension-Type Headache? (237)
Shown in this order: major-topic papers first, then newest, then most linked to trials.
| Publication | Journal | Year | Major topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| The comparative effectiveness of progressive relaxation training on pain characteristics, attack frequency, activity self-efficacy, and pain-related disability in women with episodic tension-type headache and migraine. | PloS one | 2025 | Yes |
| Psychometric properties of the headache needs assessment (HANA) survey in tension type headache: Turkish version, reliability, and validity study. | Acta neurologica Belgica | 2025 | Yes |
| Disrupted functional network topology in tension-type headache: A cross-sectional magnetoencephalography study. | Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache | 2025 | Yes |
| Differences in musculoskeletal dysfunctions and in postural alterations between chronic migraine and chronic tension type headache: A cross-sectional study. | Journal of bodywork and movement therapies | 2024 | Yes |
| Effects of PDE-3 inhibition in persistent post-traumatic headache: evidence of cAMP-dependent signaling. | The journal of headache and pain | 2024 | Yes |
Showing 5 of 237 publications.
Not on this page
Not measured: delivery record.
Checked, with nothing recorded for this condition: prevalence, rare-disease identity, and sub-conditions in mesh.