Prevalence of migraine among medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Migraine is identified as a common primary headache disorder which represents a significant global health problem due to its frequency and substantial disability. Migraine among medical

students seems to be higher than the population prevalence. Our objective was to determine the overall prevalence of headache and the prevalence of undiagnosed migraine among medical students in University of Kelaniya. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. 422 Sri Lankan medical students from first to fifth academic years were selected. A self-administered questionnaire in English medium was used to gather data. ID--Migraine™, a widely used screening instrument for identifying migraine at primary health services, was used to identify undiagnosed migraine. The cut-off for a test diagnosis of migraine headache was at least two positive responses. RESULTS: 375 participated in the study, where the females were the majority (63.5%). Diagnosed migraine prevalence was 7.5%. 46 (12.26%) students having more than 2 episodes of headache in the last 3 months were positive for migraine screening. Among those diagnosed with migraine, ID Migraine screening positives were significantly higher (p=0.005). Prevalence of migraine was higher among female medical students (13.1%).The main trigger factors were irregular sleep (89.2%) and exams (62.2%). Academic performance of 43.2% was affected due to migraine headaches. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of migraine among medical students of University of Kelaniya is lower than other studies, but many are undiagnosed. Migraine adversely affects on the academic performance.