Hungarian migraine epidemiology

Objective.-A population-based epidemiological survey of migraine without au ra and migraine with aura completed by mailed questionnaire in Hungary. The diagnosis and classification of migraine was according to the criteria of the International Headache Society. Methods.-The validity of the self-administered headache questionnaire was e valuated by a neurologist using clinical interviews, The study population w as a random sample of 2000 men and women aged between 15 and 80 years. The questionnaire was completed by 813 of 1910 people (392 men and 421 women), providing a 42.6% participation rate. Results.-Sixty-seven percent of these people experienced some kind of heada che during their lives. The 1-year prevalence of migraine without aura was 7.6% (the female/male ratio was 3:1), while the 1-year prevalence of migrai ne with aura was 2% (female/male ratio was 2:1), Most migraineurs experienc ed headache attacks 1 to 4 times monthly, which lasted 24 hours, The most c haracteristic accompanying signs were nausea and phonophobia, Stress, sleep deprivation, hot weather, and fasting were the most common precipitating f actors of a migraine attack. In the migraine with aura group, the most comm on aura was a visual disturbance, Only 43% of migraineurs had ever consulte d a physician for headache, and only 15% of patients had missed work or sch ool because of a migraine attack in the previous year, Most of the patients suffering from migraine without aura were between 20 and 40 years old, whi le migraineurs with aura were over 40 years old. According to this investig ation, the prevalence of migraine was not lower than in Western countries.