The prevalence of episodic and chronic migraine in the republic of Moldova. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics

Abstract

The aim of the present study was the estimation of episodic and chronic migraine prevalence in the Republic of Moldova. Three thousands one hundred sixty five persons with residence in urban and rural areas of the Republic of Moldova have been contacted and 2665 responded. Those responders, who mentioned the presence of headache in the last year, have been evaluated with a detailed structured questionnaire based on criteria of the International Classifi cation of Headache Disorders (ICHD), 2nd edition, 2004. Migraine prevalence in Moldova proved to be 20%, a much higher value than average in Europe and in other parts of the world. The situation might be partly explained by misdiagnosis, subsequent ineffective treatments and thus could lead eventually to headache chronicization. The prevalence of episodic migraine is 16,5%; and chronic migraine – 3,5%. The factor of migraine chronicization correlated with lower socio-economic status of patients.