Prevalence of migraine headaches among University of Michigan student athletes versus student non-athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of migraine headache among competitive student athletes at a large public university, and to compare it to the migraine headache prevalence in non-athletes. METHODS: From May to June 2007, a request to participate in a survey on headache experience was e-mailed to 1,300 athletes and 3,900 non-athlete students enrolled at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The survey included questions on demographics, headache experience, and family history of migraine. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.1.3. Prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained using log-binomial regression models (PROC GENMOD). The models adjusted for age (modeled continuously) and family history among first-degree relatives (yes/no), and were stratified by gender.Figure: Caption not available.RESULTS: The response rate to the survey was 20% (n=1,028). Prevalence of migraines in athletes and nonathletes is displayed in Table 1. After controlling for age and family history, the overall PR of migraine headaches among athletes compared to nonathletes was 0.74 (95% CI 0.60, 091). Among women (n=708), the PR was 0.80 (95% CI 0.64, 0.99); among men (n=320), the PR was 0.59 (95% CI 0.35, 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of university students, migraine prevalence was significantly lower among athletes compared with non-athletes; this association was consistent for men and women. Further study of the association between participation in competitive athletics and migraine headaches is required to confirm these findings and determine potential causes. This work was supported by a grant from the University of Michigan School of Public Health Genetics Interdepartmental Concentration.