Introduction:
Migraine is a genetically influenced complex disorder characterized by episodes of
moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea and
increased sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is a common cause of disability and loss
of work. Migraine attacks are complex brain events that unfold over hours to days in a
recurrent matter. Migraine can be classified into subtypes according to the headache
classification committee of the International Headache Society these subtypes include
migraine without aura, migraine with aura and chronic migraine. Etiology of migraine in
related to genetic, dietary and environmental factors. Acute migraine attack is characterized
in to four phases of prodrome, aura headache and postdrome. Migraine has an approximate
prevalence of 14.7% globally, making it the third most common disease in the world. It occurs
three times more commonly in women as compared to men, which is most probably due to hormonal
differences. The migraine attacks were most frequently triggered by sleep disturbance
(70.5%), stress (66.7%), fatigue (64.4%), excess screen time (61.1%), loud noise (58.8%),
dehydration (49.9%), and missed meals or dieting (49.1%). Other common triggering factors
were traveling (39.9%), bright sunshine (39.2%), and certain smells or perfume (30.8%). The
migraine attacks were triggered by smoking in only 8.1% of the migraineurs and by exercise in
only 10.4% of the migraineurs.4 The global prevalence of migraine has increased substantially
over the last three decades. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study, the
estimated global prevalence of migraine increased from 721.9 million in 1990 to 1.1 billion
in 2019. Treatment of migraine is divided into abortive measures for an acute attack and
prophylactic measures to decrease frequency, severity and duration of attacks. Acute
treatment aims to stop the progression of a headache quickly and therapy consists of
stratified options of pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures, these include
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, triptans, ergot derivate, dexamethasonse,
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy and occipital nerve block.
Recent studies have emphasized the role of prophylactic treatment of migraine because once an
acute attack occurs, it often incapacitating its sufferers, reduce quality of life and cause
significant disability. Preventive treatment aims to reduce attack frequency, improve
responsiveness to acute attacks severity and duration, and reduce disability. Indications for
preventive treatment include but not limited to frequent or long-lasting headaches, failure
of acute therapy, and migraine with complications. Preventive treatment agents include beta
blockers e.g. metoprolol and propranolol - especially in hypertensive and non-smoker
patients, anti-depressants, amitriptyline and venlafaxine - especially in patients with
depression or anxiety disorders and insomnia, Anticonvulsants: valproate acid and topiramate
- especially in epileptic patients and Calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists: erenumab,
fremanezumab, and galcanezumab. Along with pharmacological measures life style changes must
be a commitment from patient and these include regular exercise, avoidance of dietary
triggers and cognitive-behavioural therapy
