History of patients with migraine before accurate diagnosis, physician's consulted, diagnoses and treatments received

Abstract

Background: Nearly half of migraineurs do not receive accurate diagnosis and treatment. Some of these patients are misdiagnosed while others do not consult a physician.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate which type of physicians the patients consulted and which diagnoses and treatment modalities were applied to the patients before the diagnosis of migraine. Materials and Methods: This prospective study took place at the Neurology and Neurosurgery Outpatient Clinics of the Medical School Hospital of Kahramanmaras Sutcu imam University over a period approximately nine months and includes 94 patients with newly diagnosed migraine. Results: The patients consisted of 78 (83%) women and 19 ( 17%) men. The mean age was 31 (range: 13-56). 73 of the 94 patients had consulted a physician at least one time. Of these patients, 39% had been diagnosed with sinusitis and 26% were diagnosed with tension-psychological-depression headaches. The most frequently used medications were paracetamol and naproxen sodium. Conclusion: Migraine headache is frequently misdiagnosed as sinusitis.