Sadiqa Syed*, Shabina Farid Shapo, Jawaher Jazaa Al-Otaibi, Mashaeel Hamad Almutairi, Maya Tarek Mohideen and Banan Azem Khedr
Purpose of study: Migraine is the commonest type of headache, affecting 12% Saudi population. Disparities in presenting symptoms and predictors lead to improper diagnosis and treatment of this condition having a negative impact on quality of life. The main objective is to explore the common predictors and symptoms of migraine affecting adult Saudi population and to assess its influence on their quality of life.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 500 subjects suffering from migraine, aged between 18-55 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the objectives, comprising demographic data, symptoms and predictors related to migraine and the effect of migraine on the quality of life. Data was collected from students of different colleges, males and females from shopping malls and parks etc. representing general Saudi population. The data was analysed by SPSS version 21; Chi-square test was applied for comparison and Pearson's correlation assessed to evaluate impact on quality of life.
Results: Majority of participants were females, aged between 18-35 years, belonging to higher income group and with higher education level. The associated symptoms included vertigo in 74.4% subjects followed by nausea (67.9%). The predictors were chiefly lack of sleep, exam stress and hunger in 88%, 67.2% and 68.5% subjects respectively. A positive correlation was found between severity of symptoms and worsening of quality of life (p value <0.04).
Conclusion: Severity of symptoms was accompanied by poor quality of life in terms of social and professional aspects. There was a lack of awareness in majority of subjects about migraine leading to underdiagnoses, under treatment and with high use of over the counter medications. There is a need for proper awareness campaigns in Saudi population.
