Results from an online survey in people with migraine – part 1: clinical features and burden.

Abstract

Introduction. Migraine leads to considerable personal and societal burden. Often, all aspects of life are affected. At present there are insufficient contemporary data for the state of migraine sufferers in Bulgaria. The aim of the present study is to gather information about the clinical features and burden of the disease via an online survey.
Methods. In the time period from 10th December 2024 to 9Th January 2025 we conducted an online survey for people with migraine through the medical information portal www.diagnosa.info and the associated Facebook page. We gathered data for demographics, clinical features and effect on major aspects of life.
Results. The survey was filled by 278 migraineurs, 92% female. Eighty four percent (84%) of participants were in the age group 25 – 54 years old. In 89% the diagnosis was made by a medical professional and in 56% – by a neurologist. In 51% the duration of the disease was above 10 years. The mean pain intensity (1 – 10) was 8,2. The most common associated symptom was photophobia. The frequency of headache attacks was: less than once a month in 12% of participants; 1- 3 attacks in a month – 55%; 1 – 2 attacks a week – 16%; 3 – 5 attacks a week – 10%; every day or almost every day – 5%. Migraine had significant negative effect on work productivity, social life and everyday activities in 86%, 82% and 67% of surveyed people respectively. Sixty six percent (66%) reported significant dependence for help and support from close ones during a migraine attack.
Conclusions. Using online surveys allows quick gathering of information from large groups of people from the general population. Results from our study elucidate the clinical features and burden of the disease in Bulgarian migraine sufferers. Similar to reports from other countries, our data shows significant negative effect of migraine on important aspects of life.