Abstract
BackgroundMigraine prevalence and disability imprints on Kuwaiti population are underreported. We aimed to measure the prevalence of migraine and to assess its burden in Kuwait.MethodsA cross-sectional community-based study was conducted which included biologically unrelated Kuwaiti adult population aged 18–65 years. They were randomly recruited from all six governments of Kuwait using stratified multistage cluster sampling. Trained interviewers visited the samples in door-to-door approach. The Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, and Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire was used to collect the data. Demographic enquires were followed by diagnostic and disability questions.ResultsA total of 15,523 subjects were identified; of whom 3588 (23%) were diagnosed as episodic migraine and 845 (5.4%) as chronic headache. Prevalence of episodic migraine was 31.71% in female versus 14.88% in males (P < 0.01) with a mean age of 34.56 ± 10.17 years. Most of migraine cohort (64.4%) sought medical advice with respect to their migraine headaches and the majority (62.4%) were seen by general practitioners (GPs) while 17.2% were assessed by neurologists and 3.7% was seen by other specialties. Tension type headache and sinus-related headaches were diagnosed in 8.9% and 2.1% of migraine subjects respectively. The majority (94.6%) of migraine subjects used symptomatic drugs for headache attacks, whereas 39.9% were taking preventive medication. In the preceding 3 months to the survey, subjects with episodic migraine had lost a mean of 1.97 days from their paid work or school attendance compared to 6.62 days in chronic headache sufferers (P < 0.001). Additionally, subjects with episodic migraine lost a mean of 1.40 days from household work compared to 5.35 days in subjects with chronic headache (P < 0.001). Participants with episodic migraine and chronic headache missed a mean of 2.81 and 3.85 days on social occasions, in the preceding 3 months (P < 0.001).ConclusionsMigraine in Kuwait is highly prevalent and it has a significant impact on activity of daily living, schooling/ employment and social occasions of patients. Accurate diagnosis, effective abortive and preventive treatments of migraine are paramount to improve quality of life and as well as cost saving.
Highlights
Migraine prevalence and disability imprints on Kuwaiti population are underreported
Migraine disability imprints on Kuwaiti population were underreported since the GBD2010 [2] and GBD2013 [3] estimation for migraine were derived from limited data extracted from hospital-based studies
We further report on the prevalence of episodic migraine stratified by age and gender, characters of migraine in addition to its burden, which was not shown in our previous published paper [10]
Summary
Migraine prevalence and disability imprints on Kuwaiti population are underreported. We aimed to measure the prevalence of migraine and to assess its burden in Kuwait. The lifetime migraine prevalence in the three Gulf countries was lower than in European studies, which report a range of 12–28% [9]. Migraine disability imprints on Kuwaiti population were underreported since the GBD2010 [2] and GBD2013 [3] estimation for migraine were derived from limited data extracted from hospital-based studies. Our study aimed to assess the prevalence of migraine and its burden in Kuwait through a comprehensive approach utilizing a door-to-door survey. We further report on the prevalence of episodic migraine stratified by age and gender, characters of migraine in addition to its burden, which was not shown in our previous published paper [10]
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