Medical & Clinical Research

Author(s): Modhi Almuryidi, Hajar Alsaeed, Sarah Almahri, Aroob Almoagti* and Rawan Skair

Background: Migraine is a psych neurological disorder that represents a remarkable global and international health problem due to its frequency and substantial disability. Migraine is highly prevalent among university students and it is accompanied with impaired academic performance and limited daily activities. We aimed to determine the prevalence of migraine among PNU students.

Objectives: To Estimate the prevalence of migraine among PNU students, in medical and other (non-health) colleges, to identify its common triggers, and assess its severity and effects on the students’ life.

Materials and Methods: This is cross-sectional, questionnaire based study, of convenient sampling technique. 523 students out of 539 participated students were included. Participants who had two or more headaches in the last 3 months formed the headache group. Afterwards, two preliminary questions were applied to the headache group and participants with at least one affirmative response were asked to perform the validated ID-Migraine test.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 20.97±1.6 years; 448/523 students (85.7%) were screened positive for headache. Migraine was detected among 234/523 of the students (45%); 17% were medical and 55% were non-health colleges. Lack of sleep 89.3%, stress74.8%, and menstruation 46.6% were the most triggering factors of migraine. This study showed significant association between migraine headache and studying in non-health colleges (P =0.001). In medical students, the median pain level was III (moderate) and Migraine Disability Assessment Score was I (little).

Conclusion and Recommendations: The prevalence of migraine among PNU students was high compared to other studies. Further studies should be carried out by neurologist for more knowledge about migraine among students’ population.