Prevalence of migraine in Latin America.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the 1-year point prevalence of migraine among residents > or =15 years old in 12 Latin American urban communities, and record medical consultation preferences of the identified migraineurs.


BACKGROUND
Prevalence of migraine with or without aura in Latin American urban communities has not been established by large-scale population studies.


METHODS
A validated face-to-face interview questionnaire based on International Headache Society criteria was completed for all headache sufferers within selected households, in a cross-sectional study. The randomly selected populations were representative of urban communities from the six participating Latin American countries. The questionnaire used was identical in each of the six participating countries.


RESULTS
Of the 8618 people available for screening, 62% reported headache and 2637 completed interview questionnaires. Age-adjusted 1-year prevalence of migraine with or without aura for each country was (female/male, %): Argentina 6.1/3.8, Brazil 17.4/7.8, Colombia 13.8/4.8, Ecuador 13.5/2.9, Mexico 12.1/3.9, and Venezuela 12.2/4.7. Migraine prevalence was highest in women aged 30 to 50 years. In the year prior to the study, 42% of individuals interviewed and identified with migraine reported consulting a health professional about their headaches, most frequently (14%) a general practitioner. No previous diagnosis of migraine was reported by 65% of individuals with headache.


CONCLUSIONS
In agreement with previous epidemiologic reports, migraine is also a common disorder in Latin American urban communities and predominantly affects women aged 30 to 50 years. Consultation preferences are also similar to those of previous reports.
Morillo
Luis E
LE
Neuroscience Department, Hospital University de San Ignacio, Bogota, Colombia. lmorillo@javeriana.edu.co
Alarcon
Fernando
F
Aranaga
Nayesca
N
Aulet
Sara
S
Chapman
Evelina
E
Conterno
Lucien
L
Estevez
Edmundo
E
Garcia-Pedroza
Felipe
F
Garrido
Juanita
J
Macias-Islas
Miguel
M
Monzillo
Paulo
P
Nunez
Lilia
L
Plascencia
Noel
N
Rodriguez
Carlos
C
Takeuchi
Yuri
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data