Comorbid conditions in Egyptian patients with migraine.

Background: Identifying migraine comorbidities may guide prognosis and treatment options. This study aimed to assess the frequency of comorbid conditions among adults with migraine living in Greater Cairo.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Egyptian migraine sufferers aged ≥ 18 years living in Greater Cairo were consecutively recruited (April 2019 - April 2021). Following The International Classification of Headache Disorders-third edition, diagnosis of migraine was confirmed, and the type of migraine was defined as whether episodic or chronic, with or without aura, with childhood/adolescence or adulthood onset. Specialist physicians from the research team assessed comorbid conditions among the respondents.
Results: The mean age of respondents ( n  = 1064) was 35 ± 7. Irritable bowel syndrome represented the most common comorbidity in our patients (45.5%), followed by vitamin D deficiency (41.8%). The frequency of epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus was significantly higher in patients with chronic than episodic type (χ2 = 4.514, P  = 0.034), (χ2 = 12.302, P  = 0.001), (χ2 = 12.302, P  = 0.001), (χ2 = 4.806, P 0.028), respectively. Females with menstrual migraines had a significantly higher frequency of generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and restless leg syndrome than those with non-menstrual migraines (χ2 = 7.636, P 0.006), (χ2 = 9.245, P  = 0.002), and (χ2 = 11.997, P  = 0.001), respectively. The frequency of diabetes was significantly higher in patients with migraine with aura than in those without aura (χ2 = 4.248, P value 0.039).
Conclusion: This study provides a better understanding of the comorbidities in Egyptian patients with migraine and will provide new avenues for developing individualized therapy for migraine patients.