Case report
Population Variation in Migraine Prevalence – The Unsolved Problem
I. Lušić
Abstract
Migraine is one of the most prevalent types of headache, which imposes a substantial
burden on society as measured by direct and indirect costs. In the present work we review
the obstacles to carrying out migraine epidemiological studies. Knowledge of the
epidemiology of migraine has expanded because of the recent proliferation of large scale
population-based studies using standardized case definitions. Previous surveys of the
prevalence of migraine have given widely differing results. Even in population-based
studies, there have been wide variations in estimates of migraine prevalence. The development
of International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for migraine has facilitated international
comparisons in epidemiologic studies by providing explicit and consistent
diagnostic criteria, Recent studies using IHS diagnostic criteria have given relatively
consistent estimates of migraine prevalence (about 15–18% of women and 6% of men).
Studies of racial diversity in the prevalence of migraine and other headaches are still
not conclusive. Further work is needed on epidemiology of migraine and collaboration
between epidemiologists and clinicians seems the most likely way to advance understanding
in this field.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
28464
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2001.
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