Prevalence and Quality of Life in Migraine among Young Adults

Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by severe unilateral head ache accompanied by other disabling symptoms. Migraine is highly prevalent in India, and associated with substantial disability, especially among women and rural populations. Aura is a term used to describe a neurological symptom of migraine, most commonly visual disturbances. The trigger factors for migraine are bright light, flickering light, loud sound, smoky room, temperature changes, various odours, stress, anxiety, irregular sleep, alcohol, dehydration, birth control pills, hormonal triggers, food like red wine, cheese, chicken liver, hot dogs, chocolate, banana, onions, dairy products, etc. Migraine attacks can act as a stressor, potentially leading to a vicious circle of increasing migraine frequency. Prevalence of migraine was 44 %. Migraine often occurs for the first time in teenage/early 20s but teenagers can recover very quickly from this type of headache without any intervention. At least 90 % of people with migraine experience first attack before the age of 35. SF36 questionnaire was used to comment on the quality of life. Individuals with migraine had moderate disturbance in their quality of life. The domains of General health, energy level, emotional wellbeing were moderately affected. They even experienced bodily pain which interfered with their normal routine.