Trigger Factors of Migraine in Patients Attending Headache and Neurology Outpatient Clinics at Ain Shams University Hospitals

Abstract Background Migraine is the second most common cause of headache, affecting approximately 15% of women and 6% of men. Also, it is one of the most ten disabling diseases in the world. Objectives To determine the triggers of migraine headache in migraine patients attending Headache clinic at Ain Shams university hospitals. Methods A descriptive study was carried out among 292 migraine subjects from different parts of Cairo governorate from December 2019 to March 2020. Case definition of migraine was based on the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria. Results Females constituted 85.6% of the study sample. The majority of the sample (71.3%) aged 18-39 years. Psychological problems as: stress and family problems were the commonest triggers (89%), followed by fatigue (86.3%), too little sleep (staying up late) (82.2%), loud noises (77.7%), hunger, fasting and missing meals (75.3%), bright lights or and sun exposure (75%), and in relation to females menstruation (61.9%), hot weather (61.3%), too much sleep (46.9%), odors (46.2%). The least triggers were physical exercise, caffeinated drinks, smoking, chocolate and dairy products, and ice-cream were 28.8%, 26%, 24.7%, 23.3%, 16.1% respectively. Forty percent of the study population had positive family history of migraine, 30.1% of them reported major stresses (moving of residence, marriage, or death of a close relative) in the last year. Conclusion Stress, anxiety, family problems, fatigue, too little sleep, and loud noises were the commonest triggers of migraine headache. Family history was present in 41.1% of migraine patients.