Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Introduction: Headache is a very common symptom with multifactorial origins. They are broadly classified as primary headache, secondary headache and other headaches. Material and Methods: We included patients who newly presented with primary headache were identified and were subjected to a detailed history and examination to find out who among them were cases of migraine. This was carried out from October 2015 to 0ctober 2016. The diagnosis was made according to the ICHD-2 criteria (International Classification of Headache Disorders). Results: 437 cases of primary headache were identified within the time period of the study. Of these, 107 cases (24%) were diagnosed as migraine spectrum disorders. 72 cases were female (67%). 35 cases were male (33%). 32% of the cases belonged to the age group of 15-25 years, and 36% of cases belonged to the age group of 45-55 yrs. This shows a bimodal distribution of the disease. Conclusion: migraine is an important cause for primary headache in the study population of southern part of Tamil Nadu and has higher prevalence in women and among adolescents and the middle aged. Drug therapy is effective in 70% cases. Key words: Migrane, headache.