Migraine among students of a medical college in western China: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Objective As one of the most common primary headaches in clinical practice, migraine affects the learning ability and life quality of college students worldwide, posing a heavy burden on individuals and society. This study aims to investigate the incidence of migraine among Chinese medical college students and to explore its characteristics and typical triggers. Method From July 2019 to July 2020, North Sichuan Medical College in Sichuan province, China preliminarily screened migraine cases using ID-Migraine through cluster sampling. College students with positive ID-Migraine results would be included in this study if they were further diagnosed with migraine by neurologists based on ICHD-3. After the ethical review, patients’ personal and headache information would be collected, and the frequency, severity, onset time, and related triggers of migraine would be measured. Results The preliminary screening covered 8783 college students. The overall prevalence rate of migraine is 6.57%, 5.90% in men and 6.77% in women. The prevalence rate of migraine is higher for students in the first and second grades (8.01%, 8.05%), and students with a family history of migraine are more likely to suffer from migraine (OR = 1.509, 95% CI 1.060–2.148, P = 0.022 < 0.005). Staying up late (n = 329, 57.01%), stress (n = 319, 55.29%), catch a cold (n = 313, 54.25%) and sleep disorders (n = 302, 52.34%) are the common triggers. Conclusion Migraine is common among college students in North Sichuan Medical College. The incidence is higher among lower grade students, female students, and students with a family history of migraine. Improving sleep quality and reducing stress may be effective in relieving migraines.