Abstract
Background: Migraine represents the second most disabling condition worldwide. The prevalence of migraine varies from one region and one population to another. Aim: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of migraine in Tabuk and assess the associated factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a sample from the general population in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was utilized to collect the participants' data. It comprised questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and the experienced headaches, the ID Migraine questionnaire and the Migraine specific quality of life questionnaire (MSQ 2.1). Results: The prevalence of migraine was 64.2%. Migraine was significantly associated with female gender (p<0.001), anxiety (p=0.046) and family history (p<0.001). Migraine had a significantly higher frequency (p<0.001), longer duration (p<0.001), more severity (p<0.001) and lower MSQ scores than non-migraine headaches. The most prevalent and significant triggers for migraine were noise (p<0.001), stress (p=0.001), screen usage (p=0.003) and fasting/skipping meals (p<0.001). The significantly associated relieving factors were dark and quiet environment (p<0.001), reducing noise (p<0.001) and local massage (p=0.036). Conclusions: The prevalence of Migraine headache toward our population in Tabuk city was high and consistent with current literature. Since quality of life is affected in these patients, efforts should be made to promote and support public awareness and health education of migraine headache.