The prevalence of migraine in multiple sclerosis (MS): A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives: We designed this systematic review to estimate pooled prevalence of migraine in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, google scholar and gray literature including references from identified studies, conference abstracts which were published up to December 2019. The search strategy included the MeSH and text words as ((Disorder,Migraine OR Disorders,MigraineDisorder OR Migraine OR Migraines, OR MigraineHeadache OR MigraineHeadaches) AND (Multiple Sclerosis OR Sclerosis, Multiple) OR Sclerosis, Disseminated) OR Disseminated Sclerosis) OR MS (Multiple Sclerosis)) OR Multiple Sclerosis, Acute Fulminating).

Results: The literature search found 2100 articles. After eliminating duplicates, 1500 articles remained. Eleven articles and twelve abstract conference papers were included for final analysis. A total of 11,372 MS cases and 2627 MS patients with migraine included in the analysis. The prevalence of migraine ranged from 2% to 67%. The pooled prevalence of migraine in included studies was 31% (95%CI: 22%-40%) (I² = 99.3%, p < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of migraine in different continents were significantly different (p < 0.001). The pooled prevalence was 24% in Asian countries, 43% in American countries, 25% in European countries and 43% in African countries.

Conclusion: The results of this systematic review shows that the prevalence of migraine in MS patients is 31% while the prevalence differs significantly among residents of different continents.

Keywords: Migraine; Multiple sclerosis; Prevalence.