Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey
Abstract Background The ‘Migraine in Poland’ study is a large-scale nationwide cross-sectional online survey that assessed symptomatology, consulting, diagnosis, treatment, and burden of migraine in Poland, conducted from August 2021 to June 2022. The purpose of this paper is to define migraine phen...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Headache and Pain |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-025-02117-w |
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| author | Marta Waliszewska-Prosół Karol Marschollek Sławomir Budrewicz Mieszko Więckiewicz Magdalena Nowaczewska Marcin Straburzyński |
| author_facet | Marta Waliszewska-Prosół Karol Marschollek Sławomir Budrewicz Mieszko Więckiewicz Magdalena Nowaczewska Marcin Straburzyński |
| author_sort | Marta Waliszewska-Prosół |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The ‘Migraine in Poland’ study is a large-scale nationwide cross-sectional online survey that assessed symptomatology, consulting, diagnosis, treatment, and burden of migraine in Poland, conducted from August 2021 to June 2022. The purpose of this paper is to define migraine phenotype and patterns of care for Polish men. Methods Participants were recruited through various channels, primarily targeting individuals experiencing headaches. The questionnaire evaluated healthcare system utilization, headache features, history of diagnosis, comorbidities, burden, as well as the use of acute or preventive treatment. The survey included questions that allowed for diagnosis according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3. Results 3225 individuals aged 13 to 80 (mean age 38.9) responded to the survey (87.1% were women). Migraine without aura diagnosis was confirmed in 1679 (52.7%) of subjects, and this group was included in further analysis. The current study group consisted of 244 men (14.6%) and 1431 women (85.4%). Men tended to experience fewer types of headaches compared to women (p < 0.001) and were significantly less likely to report visual and sensory symptoms accompanying the worst headache than women (p < 0.001). Premonitory symptoms preceding the onset of headache were more likely, and the time required to return to normal functioning was longer in men than in women (median 24 and 10 h, respectively; p < 0.001). The use of acute treatment was significantly higher in men, regarding both physician-prescribed medications (80.3% vs. 69.3%; p < 0.001) and over-the-counter medications (77% vs. 52.2%; p < 0.001), as well as natural-based or alternative remedies (43% vs. 15.4%; p < 0.001). Men were more likely to use combination drugs (66% vs. 57.9%; p = 0.017) and often fulfilled the criteria for medication overuse (29.5% vs. 22%; p = 0.01). Prophylactic treatment was less frequently used in men (21.7% vs. 38%; p < 0.001). Men reported spending more money on medications monthly than women (p < 0.001). Both on the MIDAS (p < 0.001) and PHQ-9 (p = 0.002) scales, men scored lower than women. Conclusions Our study confirms the existence of significant gender differences in the course of migraine, both in terms of clinical characteristics of the disease and patterns related to health behaviors and access to medical care. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-36e5e776314143c7b865bf3721aee0d3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1129-2377 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Headache and Pain |
| spelling | doaj-art-36e5e776314143c7b865bf3721aee0d32025-08-20T03:43:10ZengBMCThe Journal of Headache and Pain1129-23772025-07-012611910.1186/s10194-025-02117-wMigraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national surveyMarta Waliszewska-Prosół0Karol Marschollek1Sławomir Budrewicz2Mieszko Więckiewicz3Magdalena Nowaczewska4Marcin Straburzyński5Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical UniversityDepartment of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical UniversityDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Laryngological Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńDepartment of Family Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Warmia and MazuryAbstract Background The ‘Migraine in Poland’ study is a large-scale nationwide cross-sectional online survey that assessed symptomatology, consulting, diagnosis, treatment, and burden of migraine in Poland, conducted from August 2021 to June 2022. The purpose of this paper is to define migraine phenotype and patterns of care for Polish men. Methods Participants were recruited through various channels, primarily targeting individuals experiencing headaches. The questionnaire evaluated healthcare system utilization, headache features, history of diagnosis, comorbidities, burden, as well as the use of acute or preventive treatment. The survey included questions that allowed for diagnosis according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3. Results 3225 individuals aged 13 to 80 (mean age 38.9) responded to the survey (87.1% were women). Migraine without aura diagnosis was confirmed in 1679 (52.7%) of subjects, and this group was included in further analysis. The current study group consisted of 244 men (14.6%) and 1431 women (85.4%). Men tended to experience fewer types of headaches compared to women (p < 0.001) and were significantly less likely to report visual and sensory symptoms accompanying the worst headache than women (p < 0.001). Premonitory symptoms preceding the onset of headache were more likely, and the time required to return to normal functioning was longer in men than in women (median 24 and 10 h, respectively; p < 0.001). The use of acute treatment was significantly higher in men, regarding both physician-prescribed medications (80.3% vs. 69.3%; p < 0.001) and over-the-counter medications (77% vs. 52.2%; p < 0.001), as well as natural-based or alternative remedies (43% vs. 15.4%; p < 0.001). Men were more likely to use combination drugs (66% vs. 57.9%; p = 0.017) and often fulfilled the criteria for medication overuse (29.5% vs. 22%; p = 0.01). Prophylactic treatment was less frequently used in men (21.7% vs. 38%; p < 0.001). Men reported spending more money on medications monthly than women (p < 0.001). Both on the MIDAS (p < 0.001) and PHQ-9 (p = 0.002) scales, men scored lower than women. Conclusions Our study confirms the existence of significant gender differences in the course of migraine, both in terms of clinical characteristics of the disease and patterns related to health behaviors and access to medical care.https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-025-02117-wMigraineHeadacheGenderSexDiagnosisBurden |
| spellingShingle | Marta Waliszewska-Prosół Karol Marschollek Sławomir Budrewicz Mieszko Więckiewicz Magdalena Nowaczewska Marcin Straburzyński Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey The Journal of Headache and Pain Migraine Headache Gender Sex Diagnosis Burden |
| title | Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey |
| title_full | Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey |
| title_fullStr | Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey |
| title_short | Migraine in men – differences in phenotype and treatment patterns: results from the Migraine in Poland cross-sectional national survey |
| title_sort | migraine in men differences in phenotype and treatment patterns results from the migraine in poland cross sectional national survey |
| topic | Migraine Headache Gender Sex Diagnosis Burden |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-025-02117-w |
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