Migraine Disability, Quality of Life, and Its Predictors

Background: Migraine is the most disabling primary headache and is the second most prevalent primary headache affecting middle-aged females more. However, diagnosis and treatment of migraine persists to be inadequate. Despite being a major cause of disability, works done to understand the burden and impact of migraine on daily living remains sparse. Migraine negatively affects one's sense of well-being in life, and understanding these factors will enable us to better manage the disease. Objective: To estimate the severity of disability and impairment in quality of life (QOL) secondary to migraine. To enumerate and analyze the factors predicting severity of disability and impairment in QOL secondary to migraine. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 108 consecutive migraineurs were studied. Headache impact, migraine disability, migraine-specific quality of life (MSQoL), and psychiatric comorbidities were studied using validated questionnaires. Results: Migraine was seen in 89 females and 19 males with most being in the age group of 20-40 years. Headaches had considerable to relentless impact on the sufferers. Majority of them had a highly significant disability and negatively impacted "MSQoL,", being affected in all the domains. There was also coexisting anxiety and depression with migraine. Conclusion: Migraine was more frequently seen in young- and middle-aged females. The longer duration, more frequent migraine attacks, and headache with substantial to severe impact were predictors of both disability and detrimental effects on QOL in migraineurs. Comorbid psychiatric conditions were found to be a significant contributary factor.