Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)

and the Head-MENAA study group

Question

Migraine is one of the most common disorders that cause disability and affects 12-15% of the general population. Migraine alone is responsible for almost 3 % of disabilities attributable to a specific disease worldwide. We aim that determine how much the global burden of migraine is reflected in headache clinics in Turkey, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa and to define the differences between regions in this study.

Methods

In this cross-sectional multicenter international study, sixty-eight headache specialists from 12 countries evaluated headache patients who applied to neurology clinics. Researchers recruited patients on different weekdays selected by the research randomizer program for five consecutive weeks in April and May. Researchers used the Head-MENAA study questionnaire and ICHD-3 criteria when they evaluated patients.

Results

A total of 3454 headache patients were admitted out of 12043 who applied to neurology clinics on chosen days. While 15.6% of the patients who applied to the outpatient clinic had migraine, 53.2% of the headache patients had migraine. 82.5% of migraineurs were female; the mean age was 39.8±12.57 years. Migraine with aura was observed in 10.9%, chronic migraine in 26.3%, complications of migraine in 0.6%, probable migraine in 4.8%, and episodic syndromes that may be associated with migraine in 2% of migraineurs. The mean total pain duration of the patients was 6.27±8.76 years and the pain duration in the last month was 12.02±9.97 days. The differences by region are also summarized in Table 1.

Conclusion

According to our study, migraine is the most common primary headache type among the patients who applied to neurology clinics. This burden of disease; is an entity that needs to be resolved and be faced by neurologists and the health system. The directive of our study is substantial in terms of giving a status report to plan the issues that should be done at every step, from education to medical applications in the control process of the disease.

Keywords: Head-MENAA study, migraine, global burden, neurology clinics, education