Chronic migraine prevalence, disability, and sociodemographic factors: results from the american migraine prevalence and prevention study
Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 06/29/2012
Buse DC et al. – In the US population, the prevalence of chronic migraine (CM) was nearly 1%. In adjusted models, CM prevalence was highest among females, in mid–life, and in households with the lowest annual income. Severe headache–related disability was more common among persons with CM, and most common among females with CM.
Methods- The American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study mailed surveys to a sample of 120,000 US households selected to represent the US population.
- Data on headache frequency, symptoms, sociodemographics, and headache–related disability (using the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale [MIDAS]) were obtained.
- Modified Silberstein–Lipton criteria were used to classify CM (meeting International Classification of Headache Disorders–2 [ICHD2] criteria for migraine with a headache frequency of ≥15 days over the preceding 3 months.)
- Surveys were returned by 162,756 individuals aged ≥12 years; 19,189 individuals (11.79%) met ICHD–2 criteria for migraine (17.27% of females; 5.72% of males), and 0.91% met criteria for CM (1.29% of females; 0.48% of males).
- Relative to 12– to 17–year–olds, the age– and sex–specific prevalence for CM peaked in the 40s at 1.89% (prevalence ratio [PR] 4.57; 95% CI, 3.13–6.67) for females and 0.79% (PR 3.35; 95% CI, 1.99–5.63) for males.
- In univariate and adjusted models, CM prevalence was inversely related to annual household income.
- Lower income groups had higher rates of CM.
- Individuals with CM had greater headache–related disability than those with EM and were more likely to be in the highest Migraine Disability Assessment Scale grade (37.96% vs. 9.50%, respectively).
- Headache–related disability was highest among females with CM compared to males.
- Chronic migraine represented 7.68% of migraine cases overall, and the proportion generally increased with age.
