Waliszewska-Prosół Marta, Marschollek Karol, Budrewicz Sławomir, Więckiewicz Mieszko, Nowaczewska Magdalena, Straburzyński Marcin
Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Department of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
J Headache Pain. 2025 Jul 31;26(1):173. doi: 10.1186/s10194-025-02117-w.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“波兰偏头痛”研究是一项大规模的全国性横断面在线调查，于2021年8月至2022年6月进行，评估了波兰偏头痛的症状、咨询、诊断、治疗及负担情况。本文旨在明确波兰男性偏头痛的表型及护理模式。
通过多种渠道招募参与者，主要针对有头痛症状的个体。问卷评估了医疗系统的利用情况、头痛特征、诊断史、合并症、负担以及急性或预防性治疗的使用情况。该调查包含根据《国际头痛疾病分类第三版》进行诊断的问题。
3225名年龄在13至80岁（平均年龄38.9岁）的个体参与了调查（87.1%为女性）。1679名（52.7%）受试者被确诊为无先兆偏头痛，该组被纳入进一步分析。当前研究组包括244名男性（14.6%）和1431名女性（85.4%）。与女性相比，男性经历的头痛类型较少（p < 0.001），且在最严重头痛时出现视觉和感觉症状的可能性显著低于女性（p < 0.001）。男性头痛发作前的前驱症状更常见，恢复正常功能所需时间比女性更长（中位数分别为24小时和10小时；p < 0.001）。男性急性治疗药物的使用显著更高，包括医生开具的药物（80.3%对69.3%；p < 0.001）、非处方药（77%对52.2%；p < 0.001）以及天然或替代疗法（43%对15.4%；p < 0.001）。男性更有可能使用复方药物（66%对57.9%；p = 0.017），且经常符合药物过度使用标准（29.5%对22%；p = 0.01）。男性预防性治疗的使用频率较低（21.7%对38%；p < 0.001）。男性报告每月在药物上的花费比女性更多（p < 0.001）。在MIDAS量表（p < 0.001）和PHQ - 9量表（p = 0.002）上，男性得分均低于女性。
我们的研究证实，偏头痛病程中存在显著的性别差异，这在疾病的临床特征以及与健康行为和医疗服务获取相关的模式方面均有体现。
