[Clinical features of migraine according to the questionnaire 'Alcoi-92' in the Comtat area].

Introduction: Headache is one of the commonest reasons for consultation and it might be useful to know its characteristics in order to determine which patients may need medical attention.
Objectives: To carry out a randomized transverse study in a rural population using the validated questionnaire 'Alcoi-92', and to determine the clinical characteristics of the headaches detected.
Patients and Methods: A door to door survey was done by randomized selection of 790 persons aged over 18 and living in the Comarca del Comtat. A validated self-questionnaire was sent and this was followed by an interview with a doctor.
Results: Five hundred and forty-eight persons were interviewed. The standard prevalence of migraine is 19.6% with a sex incidence of 1:2.4 and an average age of 46.1 years. The average age of onset was 20.64 years. There were family histories of cerebrovascular accidents in 26.4% and of migraine in 57.1%. There were no differences in the use of toxic substances, of socio-economic status or of marital status. The commonest pre-existing pathology was arterial hypertension. The number of episodes of headache was one to seven per year in 50% of those with migraine, with an average duration of 4-24 hours, predominantly bilateral presentation and pulsatile in character with moderate repercussion in everyday activities. The commonest associated symptoms were photophobia and sonophobia. There were prodromal symptoms in 36.9%, most commonly confusion and photopsy.
Conclusion: The questionnaire 'Alcoi-92' has been shown to be a useful tool for definition of the clinical characteristics of migraine.