The Treatment Profile of Migraine in India: A Glimpse of the Real World Scenario.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

Migraine is a highly prevalent, disabling disease of the brain. Despite the availability of migraine-specific medications, it is undertreated across the world. This study reports the real-world scenario regarding the treatment patterns of migraine in India.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 400 persons with migraines, fulfilling the ICHD-3 criteria. The demographic details, history of headache, disability, and treatment details, including pathways to care, were collected.

RESULTS

The majority (77.3%) of those with migraine were females, unemployed (64%), and reported a mean age of 37.2 ± 11.5 years. The median duration of migraine was 24 months. The most common diagnosis was episodic migraine (57.3%), and the remaining cases were chronic migraine. Only 11 (<3%) among the 400 patients disclosed visiting a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioner. The majority of the patients (72.5%) routinely used balms and oils for acute pain relief. The most common abortive medications were naproxen, frequently in combination with domperidone, and/or paracetamol. Among the patients with a high frequency of episodic migraines, only 25% were on adequate prophylaxis.

CONCLUSION

This study describes the pattern of acute and preventive treatment of migraine in a large sample of patients with migraine attending a tertiary care center. After identifying the gaps and comparison them with international literature, we suggest that awareness programs targeting pharmacists, as well as the education and empowerment of healthcare professionals at the grassroots level, may be required to tackle the challenges posed in the management of migraine.