Background
Primary headache disorders are a diverse group of neurologic conditions
that cause recurrent or persistent headaches with no obvious cause
{1}. Migraine is being recognized as a significant health problem
affecting the quality of life and a major cause of morbidity among young
adults specially students, and one of the major health related resources
consumers It is a chronic neurological disease that affects 15% of the
population, but there is little information about its prevalence in
Sudan{2}. During university life, students often report increased
levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and irregular sleep, all of which
are associated with migraines .Migraine is on the rise in both general
populations and university students, according to available statistics.
The activation of the so-called trigeminoascular system (TGVS) causes
it: trigeminal afferents activate structures involved in pain
transmission and perception, as well as the release of vasoactive
peptides (presumably causing neurogenic inflammation). The primary cause
of TGVS activation and the mechanism of pain generation after TGVS
activation are the two major open questions in migraine headache
neurobiology Regarding the main cause of TGVS activation, two theories
have dominated the field: cortical spreading depression (a slowly moving
wave of cortical depolarization) and the existence of a brainstem
generator (dysfunctional brainstem nuclei involved in ant nociception as
a primary cause of migraine).In terms of migraine pain mechanisms, two
main theories have been proposed: neurogenic inflammation of the
meninges and trigeminal nerve and nucleus sensitization. There is a
strong genetic component to migraine. CACNA1A (which encodes a subunit
of the voltage-gated Ca2+ channel CaV2.1) and ATP1A2 (which encodes a
subunit of the Na+/K+ ATPase) are the only two genes known to cause a
rare form of migraine. The discovery of migraine-linked mutations, as
well as the identification of the most likely primary cause of TGVS
activation, has provided us with new targets for the development of
anti-migraine compounds. Due to the prevalence of the disease and the
fact that currently available drugs are not always successful, this is a
critical are {3, 4, 5, 6, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22} Migraine
headaches have a wide range of prevalence rates. The prevalence of
migraine-type headaches varies depending on the technique used to
diagnose them in different studies. There have been few studies on the
prevalence of migraine in Sudanese university students. It is
particularly significant among university students because of its
negative effects on quality of life. WHO must maintain a high level of
concentration and achievement. Headaches have a significant effect on
university students’ academic performance. Students with migraines have
a 62.7 percent decrease in capacity compared to students with episodic
tension-type headaches (ETTH), who have a 24.4 percent decrease in
capacity. Furthermore, students suffering from migraine headaches missed
more school than those suffering from ETTH.
The significance of migraine headaches in university students is
revealed by these findings. To ascertain the prevalence, large
populations must be subjected to useful, reliable, and validated
screening tests. Lipton et al. developed and validated the Identity
Migraine (ID Migraine TM) test, which is a proper and useful screening
tool that can be applied quickly to large populations. In primary care,
this test’s sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value have
been determined to be 81 percent, 75 percent, and 93 percent,
respectively. Adolescence is defined by the World Health Organization
(WHO) as young people aged 10 to 19. The university population includes
both teens and adults {9}. With a sensitivity of 62.1 % and a
specificity of 71.1 %, the test has been validated for use among
adolescent students {8}.In this study, our goal is to use the ID
Migraine™ rapid detection tool to determine the prevalence of migraine
in college students. The prevalence of migraine in the general
population ranged from 2.6 percent to 32 percent. The prevalence of
migraine headache was estimated to be between 12.2 percent and 27.9
percent among medical university students, and between 7.1 percent and
13.7 percent among schoolchildren (6 to 18 years. Females were found to
be more likely than males to suffer from migraines. The duration of
migraine attacks became shorter as people got older, while chronic
(daily) migraine became more common Anxiety, hypertension, irritable
bowel syndrome, and depression were the most frequently observed
comorbidities with migraine. Stress, fatigue, sleep disturbances,
prolonged exposure to excessive sunshine or heat, and starvation were
the most common headache-inducing factors}.The prevalence and risk
factors of migraine headache in Arab countries are comparable to reports
from western countries. Longitudinal studies are still needed to examine
the prognosis and predictors of chronic diseases in Arab countries
{7}.
Migraine is a major cause of morbidity among young adults especially
students, and one of the major health related resources
consumers.
Migraine is a very important disease and there is no enough researches
done for it and is easily preventable-but at the same time it affects
quality of life such as students’ academic performance- by proper
practice of consuming good prescribed drugs, so this research will help
primary health care providers in the effort to decrease adult students’
morbidity.