title: A survey of female students with migraine: what is the influence of family history and lifestyle?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare characteristics of migraine and some lifestyle habits in migraineurs with and without a positive family history for migraine.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence study was combined with a case-control study and comprised 245 female students with migraine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 245 female students with migraine, 132 (53.9%) had a positive family history for migraine. In comparison with migraineurs who had not, those with a positive family history were younger at the onset of migraine and significantly more frequently reported menstrual migraine (p < 0.001), unilateral pain (p < 0.05) and pulsate pain (p < 0.05) as well as severe headache (p < 0.01). In comparison to migraineurs with a positive family history for migraine, those who did not report a significantly higher frequency of average number of meals per day of <3 (p < 0.001), missed meals (p < 0.05) and an average sleep duration of ≤ 6 h (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study are in line with literature showing a high frequency of positive family history for migraine among migraineurs. They also suggest that subjects with a positive family history have a lower "migrainous threshold" for the development of migraine and that environmental factors are more important for the occurrence of migraine in subjects without a positive family history. Accordingly, the conclusions of this study are limited to reproductive aged women.
authors.affiliation: 1Clinic of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dzoljic
authors.forename: Hristina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vlajinac
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sipetic
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marinkovic
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grbatinic
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kostic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005192:Family Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult