Clinical characteristics of 226 college-going female migraineurs in Lahore, Pakistan - putting ICHD-2 to the road test.

The International Headache Society (IHS) criteria-based questionnaires were given to 647 college-going females (faculty and students) of selected universities in Lahore, Pakistan. Forty five (7%) were diagnosed with Migraine with Aura (MWA), 181 (28%) with Migraine without Aura (MWOA) and 421 (65%) as NMH (non-migrainous headache). We found 'Photophobia and Phonophobia' as the most common headache-associated symptoms, and 'Stress' and lack of sleep' as the most commonly reported triggers of MWA (44%) and MWOA (38%). Most common headache management practice amongst migraineurs was 'sleep' [MWA (35%) and MWOA (39%)]. This is the first paper which elucidates the symptomatology, risk factors and treatment modalities of migraineurs in Pakistan.