Migraine prevalence and characterization of a representative subset of university students from Medellin, 2014
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Abstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence of migraine and the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of a representative subset of university students from Medellin in 2014.
Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data was collected from a private university student subset. All participants were over 18 (legal age in Colombia) and were enrolled in different university programs. They all verbally agreed to participate before submitting their personal data to the study. Data was collected using a survey developed by researchers and was based on the 2013 International Headache Society (IHS) diagnostic criteria (beta version) and other variables of interest to the study, such as sociodemographic data, comorbidities, family disease history, and treatment methods.
Results: A total of 650 students completed and submitted the survey. The median age was 21 years (interquartile range: 19-23 years), and 427 students (65.7%) were female participants. Migraine prevalence was determined to be 27.7%. Among students who met migraine diagnostic criteria (n=180), irritable bowel syndrome (24.4%) and depressive disorders (8.9%) were the two most common conditions in their medical records. A total of 103 (57.2%) students had a family history of migraine, and only 51% of those who met migraine diagnostic criteria had already been diagnosed by a qualified physician. The most common migraine episode triggers identified included long periods of fasting (71.3%), sleep deprivation (69.1%), and university testing (63.8%). Of the participants, 168 (93.3%) expressed that they use analgesics to treat their migraine episodes, but only 44.6% were using analgesic therapy prescribed by a qualified physician. The most common medications used as a prophylactic approach were naproxen (19.6%) and propranolol (12,3%). The most common medications used as a therapeutic approach were acetaminophen (70.8%) and ibuprofen (44.4%).
Conclusions: A greater migraine prevalence was observed than that which was reported in the general population and the presence of factors traditionally described with this pathology.
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References
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