Prevalence of migraine and its effect on the quality of life among the Saudi general population

Background: Migraine is a common episodic neurological condition with complicated pathophysiology that manifests itself as repeating bouts of throbbing and unilateral, frequently severe headaches, nausea, phonophobia, and photophobia. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of migraines in Saudi Arabia's general population and their impact on quality of life. Methods: This was cross-sectional research based on a broad group of male and female migraine sufferers in Saudi Arabia who were over 18. The research was carried out between June and August of 2021. Results: The majority of the participants in this cross-sectional research, 173 (40%), were between 26 and 35. Females (65%) outnumbered males by a margin of (35%). The majority of the participants were jobless Saudis with no prior history of chronic illnesses (191 (44.2%), 376 (87%), and 351 (81.3%), respectively. Age (p-value = 0.046) and gender (p-value = 0.001) were also shown to be substantially linked with migraine attacks. While the MSQ score was associated with living in a city, being single, being a university student, and not having any past chronic conditions (p-value = 0.001, 0.001, 0.046, and 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: According to the current study, the total prevalence of migraines in Saudi Arabia's general population was 39.58%. The participants in this study had a significant prevalence of migraines since they were middle-aged females living in southern or metropolitan locations. The most prevalent migraine symptoms were nausea and being bothered by light or loud sounds during a headache attack.