Prevalence of migraine.

The prevalence of migraine in the general population has been calculated using a standard mailed questionnaire, which inquired about headache and the individual features of migraine, and which previously had been compared with a clinical diagnosis. In three separate epidemiological surveys the prevalence in the preceding year was found to be between 23 and 29% in women and between 15 and 20% in men. The prevalence declined with age in both men and women. These surveys show that migraine is much more prevalent than the frequently quoted figure of about 10% of the population which does not seem to be based on any particular survey.