Table 1.
Characteristics of included articles.
| Author [ref] | Country | Study duration | Study population | Study type | Diagnostic criteria | Sample size | Study quality score (8) | Migraine Prevalence (%) | Other results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abduljabbar et al. [24] | Saudi Arabia | Oct 1994–Mar 1995 (6 months) | >15 years old | A community survey (door-to-door) | IHS criteria | 5,891,473 suffered from headache | 3 | 2.6 | Most of headache sufferers were women. The age-specific rate was increasing with a peak in the sixth decade. |
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| Ai‐Rajeh et al. [8] | Saudi Arabia | Dec 1983–Nov 1988 | All population | Evaluation of patients with headache as the key reason for their visits in the hospital. | The definition of Blau, 1984. | 222 | 1 | 22 | Migraine showed a higher prevalence among Saudi females only in the fourth decade (female-to-male ratio of 4 : 1). 10% of the cases presented positive family history for headache. Major headache precipitating factors were stress, prolonged exposure to excessive sunlight or heat, and hunger. |
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| Jumah et al. [25] | Saudi Arabia | 1 year | Schoolchildren (6–18 years) | A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study | IHS criteria | 1,400 | 3 | 7.1 | For migraine, in both boys and girls, prevalence rate sharply increased from around 2% to around 9% at age 10 to 11. |
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| Jumah et al. [26] | Saudi Arabia | 1 year | 18–65 years | A country-wide population-based cross-sectional survey | 2,421 | 4 | 32 | This study shows a high prevalence of migraines among men. | |
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| Almalki et al. [27] | Saudi Arabia | — | General population | A cross-sectional survey study | IHS criteria | 354 | 2 | 78.5 | Migraine prevalence was found to be higher in urban areas and among females. An association was found between migraines and high rates of unemployment. The most common symptom associated with migraine was nausea. |
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| Al-Tulaihi et al. [10] | Saudi Arabia | 2002-2003 | High school students (16–21 years) | A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study | IHS criteria | 1750 | 3 | 7.7 | Migraine shows higher prevalence in females than males. |
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| Ibrahim et al. [28] | Saudi Arabia | 2014-2015 | Medical students (2nd–6th year) | A cross-sectional study | ID Migraine test™, Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). | 566 | 6 | 26.3 | The major migraine predictors were found to be functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), family history of migraine, female gender, and enrolment in the second academic year. The most common triggers were exam stress and sleep disturbances. |
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| Garah et al. [29] | Saudi Arabia | 2013-2014 | Female university students | A cross-sectional study | IHS criteria | 395 | 5 | 61.77 | The most common triggers were physical stimulation (like light, loudness, change in weather, and certain smells). Among students, the most important migraine relieving factors were rest and sleep (63.5%), medication (33.2%), followed by darkening room (30.3%), massage (20.1%), and coffee drinking (18%). A significant association was found between migraine headache and family history of migraine and studying in theoretical colleges. |
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| Jamal et al. [30] | Kuwait | Mar 2003–Jun 2003 | 15–80 years | A cross-sectional study | IHS criteria | 290 | 1 | 11.7 | There was no evidence to prove a positive correlation between high blood pressure and headache. |
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| Al-Hashel et al. [31] | Kuwait | 2012-2013 | Medical students | A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study | Identification of migraine (ID Migraine™) | 621 | 2 | 27.9 | The most common triggering factors in students were stress (24.9%), irregular sleep (20.8%), and substantial reading tasks (18.5%). Migraine prevalence showed an increase in the final two years of education. |
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| Al-Hashel et al. [32] | Kuwait | Jan 2016–Apr 2016 (4 months) | 18–65 years | A population-based cross-sectional survey (door-to-door) | ICD-II criteria | 15,523 | 4 | 23.11 | Highly prevalent condition having a significant impact on daily living activity, employment/schooling, and social occasions of patients. |
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| Badry et al. [33] | Egypt | Jul 2009–Jan 2012 (31 months) | >8 year old | A door-to-door screening and an examination survey | WHO | 33,283 | 5 | 2.8 | The highest prevalence was recorded in the elderly population (60+ years, 8.0%) and among the age group 18–39 years (5.4%). |
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| El-Sherbiny et al. [34] | Egypt | Jan 2014–Oct 2014 | 15–83 years | A community-based, cross-sectional observational descriptive survey. | ICD-IIIb | 2600 | 6 | 17.3 | Migraine shows higher prevalence in females than males. |
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| Kandil et al. [35] | Egypt | All population | A cross-sectional population-based study (door-to-door) | HIS & ICD-II | 4,700 | 3 | 10.55 | Chronic or daily migraine was more common in females (35.3% versus 20.7% for males). Migraine attack duration was found to get shorter with increasing age, but the chronic (daily) migraine showed an increasing prevalence with age. The most common comorbidities with migraines were hypertension, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and depression. | |
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| Bener [36] | Qatar | Oct 2004–Dec 2004 | >15 years old | A cross-sectional population-based study. | IHS criteria | 913 | 4 | 7.9 | Most common warning symptoms before headaches were weakness (30.4%) and abnormal vision (53.0%). Factors that were found to make headache worse included stress (71.8%) and weather (49.5%). |
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| Bessisso et al. [37] | Qatar | Mar 2001–Apr 2003 | Schoolchildren (6–17 years) | A cross-sectional survey | IHS criteria | 851 | 5 | 11.9 | The most common triggers were found to be lack of sleep (17.6%) and fatigue (35.8%). |
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| Deleu et al. [38] | Oman | 1999-2000 (2 year) | >10 years old | A community-based study | IHS criteria | 1,158 | 3 | 10.1 | In this study, migraine prevalence did not show significant gender difference (4.5% in male and 5.6% in female). |
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| Deleu et al. [39] | Oman | 2001 | Medical students | A college-based, cross-sectional survey | IHS criteria | 403 | 4 | 12.2 | A significant gender distribution difference of migraine prevalence was 6.6% of men and 15.5% of women. |
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| Alzoubi et al. [40] | Jordan | Jan 2007–Nov 2008 | 18–85 year | A community-based, cross-sectional study | — | 4,836 | 3 | 7.7 | Headache and overuse of analgesics was prevalent. |
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| ALBashtawy et al. [41] | Jordan | 3 weeks | School students (16–18 years) | A school-based, cross-sectional study | IHS criteria | 754 | 4 | 8.8 | This study indicated that migraine prevalence was initially high and increased with age. |
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| Romdhane et al. [42] | Tunisia | Jul 1985 | A full-scale survey evaluated by a second survey. | WHO & ICD | 1,673 | 5 | 8.6% | Migraine prevalence ratios in Nigeria, Ecuador, and Kelibia were equivalent. | |
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| Abdo et al. [43] | Yemen | Jul 2010–Sep 2011 | 18–85 years | A cross-sectional observational study | IHS criteria | 12,640 | 3 | 14.48 | The study demonstrated a high prevalence of headache in Kuwait with 76.5% of the subjects experiencing headache attacks at least once per year |
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| Bener et al. [9] | United Arab Emirates | Oct 1995–Jun 1996 | Schoolchildren (6–14 years) | A cross-sectional population-based study | IHS criteria | 1,159 | 5 | 13.7 | Headache prevalence increases with age. Highest rate was found among 13-year-olds (17.5%). |
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| Sabra et al. [44] | Saudi Arabia | 2015 | General population | A cross-sectional population-based study | IHS criteria | 1002 | 4 | 10.8% | Out of the atypical complaints, 86% of the patients had a history of concomitant typical presentation. |