Comprehensive Study of Pediatric Migraine Based on Patient Data of Demographic, Characteristic, and Treatment Outcomes

الملخص

Introduction: Migraine is a common neurological disorder in pediatric consultations. It is often disabling and influencing negatively the quality of life of pediatric migraine patients (PMPs).

Aim: This study aimed to characterize the demographic profile of 98 PMPs from outpatient and private clinics in Al-Diwaniyah City, Iraq. This study describes demographic distribution, migraine characteristics, associated symptoms, familial history, trigger factors, and treatment outcomes of PMPs.

Patients and Methods: The dataset had the following variables: age, sex, duration and severity of the migraines, frequency of attacks, associated symptoms, family history, trigger factor, types of treatments, and follow-up duration. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and distributions of the categories were analyzed. Visualization has been created to reveal the visualization-created outputs of key findings. Also, statistical approaches for analyzing correlations and treatment outcomes were carried out.

Results: The study had a total of 98 PMPs. The ratio of male and female patients was 53.1% and 46.9% respectively. The mean age of patients was 10.5 years. The mean duration of migraine was 25.3 months, the mean frequency was 7.2 attacks per month and the mean severity score was 5.7 out of 10. Besides headache, the commonly associated symptoms of migraine were nausea (45%), photophobia (38%), and phonophobia (33%). A family history of migraine was seen in 60% of patients. The most reported trigger factors were stress (50%), lack of sleep (35%), and certain food (25%). Mainly, the treatment modality used was medication with lifestyle changes (70%) and only  lifestyle changes (30%). The mean duration of follow-up was 11.5 months. Overall, 78.5% of children responded positively to the treatment.

Conclusion: This elaborate analysis elucidates the burden of migraines in children in terms of the prevalence, recurrence, family history, associated trigger factors, and varied symptoms, and this needs special management as kids and adolescents differ from adults and require a tailored management approach. It also highlights the role of family history, trigger factors, and associated symptoms in managing pediatric migraines. The study holds value in guiding the clinical practices of doctors to optimize the clinical outcome in pediatric migraine patients.

Keywords: Migraine treatment, pediatric neurology, pediatric migraine