Background: Migraine is a common complaint across medical students that can affect their academic performance. The aim of this study was to assess the migraine prevalence among medical students as well as migraine-associated risk factors, lifestyle and disability factors, triggers, and relieving factors.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine of Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A web-based survey was used to collect data on participants' demographics. We identified those with migraines using the Migraine screen questionnaire and assessed the severity of migraines using the Migraine Disability Assessment Survey.
Results: A total of 406 students participated in the study. Of them, 210 (51.7%) were men. A migraine prevalence of 23.2% was demonstrated. Among participants with migraines, 28 (29.78%) experienced severe attacks and 40 (42.5%) had migraines with aura. The most common trigger was irregular sleep, and the most frequent relieving factors were sleep, rest, and self-medication. There was a significant association between having migraines and being a woman (p = 0.00), being a sixth-year student (p = 0.007), having a family history of migraines (p = 0.00), and having a grade point average below three (p = 0.009). A total of 38 (40.4%) of students with migraines had a severe disability and 16 (17.0%) had a moderate disability.
Conclusion: Migraine is a prevalent problem among medical students that can lead to poor academic performance. It is thus important to identify students with migraines to improve their lifestyle and academic outcomes.
Key words: Migraine, prevalence, risk factors, triggers, medical students, academic performance
|
