Epidemiology and symptomatology of migraine among school children: Denizli urban area in Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed at finding the prevalence, associated factors, and symptomatology of migraine among 5 to 8 grades of secondary and 9 to 11 grades of high school children (age range between 11 and 18 years old) in the Denizli urban area in the western part of Turkey.


BACKGROUND
Data from the developed countries indicate that migraine is the most common cause of recurrent headaches in children. Also, childhood migraine is sufficiently severe to prevent the half of the suffering children from carrying on their usual daily activities.


METHODS
A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted between May 2000 and June 2000. There were 2,490 participants selected by a multistage stratified clustered sampling procedure. A validated self-administered questionnaire designed according to the International Headache Society criteria was given to the school children of age between 11 and 18 years.


RESULTS
Overall migraine prevalence was 8.8%; it was 6.7% in boys and 11.0% in girls (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3 to 2.3). Among girls, the highest prevalence (17.7%) occurred at 15 years of age, but among boys, the highest prevalence (11.9%) occurred at 16 years of age. Of children with migraine, 56.5% had a positive family history, and only 29.1% visited a doctor for headache.


CONCLUSIONS
Migraine is a common health problem among school children in Denizli urban area and it often goes underdiagnosed.
Department of Public Health, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
Mehmet
M
Zencir
Hacer
H
Ergin
Türker
T
Sahiner
Ilknur
I
Kiliç
Esma
E
Alkiş
Lale
L
Ozdel
Dolunay
D
Gürses
Ahmet
A
Ergin
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data