Quality-of-Life of Migraine Patients Followed in Neurology Clinics at King Fahad Hospital in AL-Madinah City, 2021: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Migraine is ranked the second leading cause of years lived with disability (YLD). It negatively affects multiple aspects of life which include family relationships, career/financial achievement, stability, and overall health. This study aimed to assess the quality of life of migraine and its determinants among patients in neurology clinics.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study that included a convenient sample of migraine patients (15-60 years), followed in 7 neurology clinics at King Fahad Hospital in AL Madinah city, Saudi Arabia. A valid self-assessment questionnaire was utilized for collecting data. It has three parts; sociodemographic data, migraine history, and the Arabic version of Migraine-Specific QOL Questionnaire, version 2.1 (MSQ 2.1) to assess the quality of life.
Results: A total of 339 migraine patients participated in the study. The majority of them (87.6%) were females and Saudi nationals (92.9%). Their age ranged between 15 and 60 years, with an arithmetic mean (±SD) of 36.31±12.56 years. On a scale ranging between 0 and 100, the mean score (±SD) for the restrictive role, preventive role, emotional function domains, and the overall QOL were 70.42±22.89, 73.97±22.27, 77.73±21.32, and 73.0±20.78, respectively. Total migraine-specific QOL score was highest among patients with intermediate school education (81.2±14.0), p<0.001, retired patients (81.7±18.2), p=0.001. It was significantly higher among never smokers than daily smokers (77.7±20.7 vs. 57.4±29.9), p=0.024 and among those without a history of co-morbid chronic diseases compared to those with such history (76.4±21.3 vs.70.5±20.1), p=0.010. It was also highest among patients diagnoses in the past 1-3 years (79.4±16.3), p<0.001, those with less than 12 attacks/year (85.8±20.0), p<0.001, patients who reported no medication intake during migraine attacks (84.4±18.5), p<0.001, patients who reported current intake of prophylactic medication (76.9±19.3), p<0.001, those who took Propranolol (Inderal) as a prophylactic drug (79.2±6.3), p=0.002 and those with no family history of migraine (76.7±21.2), p<0.001.
Conclusions: Migraine impacts the QOL of affected patients in many aspects. Therefore, assessing QOL by treating physicians is very essential to help them in making more suitable prescribing medications.