dawnmedDawnMed Journal of Medical ScienceISVolume 2, Issue 4MultidisciplinaryEnglish2026NNY20260916Neurology Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Management of Migraine among the Adult Population in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic ReviewEnglishY613Fahad SZAlanazi1EnglishNAbdullah KAbusoliman2EnglishY*EnglishYAmal NAlamri3EnglishYMohammed YBAbutaleb4EnglishYAhmed HKhan2EnglishYLugeen MA AlKhulaif5EnglishYReem ERagab6EnglishYRuyuf AAlabdali7EnglishYAbdullah AAlbassam8EnglishYRahf AHHakami9EnglishYAryam SAl-Malki10EnglishYAlbatul REBusaleh11EnglishYNouf IMBahathek12EnglishYAsma AAAlsulami13EnglishY10.64039/djms.2026.2307AbstractBackground: Migraine is a common and disabling primary headache disorder. Evidence from Saudi Arabia includes national surveys and numerous population subgroups, but differences in sampling and case ascertainment complicate interpretation of prevalence, associated factors, and management outcomes.Aim:To synthesise evidence on the prevalence, risk factors, and management of migraine among adults living in Saudi Arabia.Methods:PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for English-language primary studies published from 2016 to 10 July 2026. Findings were synthesised narratively because populations, diagnostic methods, and outcomes differed. Methodological limitations were assessed descriptively. Two reports with mixed adolescent–adult samples were separated from the adult-focused synthesis when adult-only findings could not be established.Results:Of 652 records, 25 reports were retained after the original screening process; 23 contributed to the adult-focused synthesis and two were retained only as mixed-age context. Two national reports analysed the same 2,316 participants. The population-based survey estimated an adjusted one-year migraine prevalence of 25.0%. Other estimates reflected different populations and measures and were not combined into a single prevalence range. Female sex and psychiatric symptoms were associated with migraine in several surveys, without establishing causal direction. Two retrospective onabotulinumtoxinA reports described reductions in headache frequency or disability, but lacked untreated comparison groups. Medication-overuse headache and reported analgesic use were associated with poorer migraine-related quality of life.Conclusion:Migraine places a substantial burden on adults living in Saudi Arabia. Population-based estimates should be distinguished from screening positivity and clinic or occupational proportions. Saudi observational treatment reports describe improvement but do not independently establish comparative effectiveness. Incomplete review records, a descriptive rather than complete formal risk-of-bias assessment, and heterogeneous primary studies limit the certainty and reproducibility of the synthesis.EnglishMigraine; Saudi Arabia; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Headache Management; Systematic Review.https://dawnmed.com.sa/abstract?id=31References1619ReferencesAshina M. Migraine. New England Journal of Medicine. 2020;383(19):1866and;ndash;1876. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1915327.Goadsby PJ, Holland PR, Martins-Oliveira M, Hoffmann J, Schankin C, Akerman S. Pathophysiology of migraine: a disorder of sensory processing. Physiological Reviews. 2017;97(2):553and;ndash;622. doi:10.1152/physrev.00034.2015.Alkahtani RF, et al. The impact of migraine disease on work productivity and quality of life among the adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2022;14(8):e27733. doi:10.7759/cureus.27733.Vosoughi K, et al. The burden of headache disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990and;ndash;2016: findings from the Global Burden of Disease study 2016. The Journal of Headache and Pain. 2019;20(1):40.Al Jumah M, Al Khathaami AM, Kojan S, Hussain M, Thomas H, Steiner TJ. The prevalence of primary headache disorders in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional population-based study. The Journal of Headache and Pain. 2020;21:11. doi:10.1186/s10194-020-1081-1.Al-Rajeh S, Bademosi O, Ismail H, Awada A. Headache syndromes in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Headache. 1990;30(6):359and;ndash;362.Abduljabbar M, Ogunniyi A, Al Balla S, Alballaa S, Al-Dalaan A. Prevalence of primary headache syndrome in adults in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Headache. 1996;36(6):385and;ndash;388.Rafique N, et al. Prevalence of migraine and its relationship with psychological stress and sleep quality in female university students in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Pain Research. 2020;13:2423and;ndash;2430.Alsamghan AS, et al. The correlation between migraine headache and altitude in Western Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries. 2020;4(1):83and;ndash;87. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1571235008.Al-Qurashi SM, Alsaedi MG. The prevalence of migraine headache and its associated factors among physicians working in primary health care at Ministry of Health inside Makkah Al-Mokarramah, 2020 (a cross-sectional study). American Journal of Science and Engineering Research. 2020;5:90and;ndash;101.Algahtani H, Shirah B, Bamsallm M, Nejaim K, Alobaidi H, Alghamdi M. Perception of the general population towards migraine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery. 2022;58:71.Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71.Al-Hayani M, AboTaleb H, Bazi A, Alghamdi B. Depression, anxiety and stress in Saudi migraine patients using DASS-21: local population-based cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Neuroscience. 2023;133(3):248and;ndash;256. doi:10.1080/00207454.2021.1909011.Qarah M, et al. Prevalence of anxiety and depression and their association with migraine among PHC center visitors in Madina, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e55404. doi:10.7759/cureus.55404.Downes MJ, Brennan ML, Williams HC, Dean RS. Development of a critical appraisal tool to assess the quality of cross-sectional studies (AXIS). BMJ Open. 2016;6(12):e011458. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011458.Aljafen BN, et al. Assessing self-medication practices among healthcare providers with migraine in Saudi Arabia. Brain and Behavior. 2025;15(8):e70724. doi:10.1002/brb3.70724.Labban SY, et al. Association between screen exposure and migraine headache among medical students of Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Pioneering Medical Sciences. 2025;14(5):13and;ndash;19. doi:10.47310/jpms2025140503.Abumilha AKY, Abukaftah ASA, Al-Mudhi MM, Al Fareh NA, Abudasser AM. Association between migraine and depression, anxiety, and stress in the Aseer region: a cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Neurology. 2025;16:1650891. doi:10.3389/fneur.2025.1650891.Aljaafari D, et al. Body mass index and its association with various features of migraine: a cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia. Annals of African Medicine. 2021;20(4):288and;ndash;292.Algahtani H, et al. Botulinum toxin injection in the management of chronic migraine: the Saudi experience with a proposal for a new protocol. Acta Neurologica Belgica. 2021;121(6):1783and;ndash;1787. doi:10.1007/s13760-020-01521-0.Al Harbi A, Alzahrani NH, Alsuhibany HA, Al-Dosari MA, Alsalman RS, Alkhalifah AA. Environmental triggers in migraine patients in Riyadh: a cross-sectional study. World Family Medicine. 2021;19(12):18and;ndash;26. doi:10.5742/MEWFM.2021.94172.Aleyeidi NA, Alqahtani RS, Alotaibi HF, Alotaibi AH, Alotaibi KM, Alnofiey RM. Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on the severity of headache, migraine, and stress in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Pain Research. 2021;14:3827and;ndash;3835.Alturaiki HM, et al. Headache characteristics and risk factors among healthcare providers in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2023;15(9):e45377. doi:10.7759/cureus.45377.Alharthi TS, et al. Headache characteristics and their influencing factors among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia: a survey study. Cureus. 2023;15(11):e49345. doi:10.7759/cureus.49345.Mohamed AB, et al. Investigating the patent foramen ovaleand;ndash;migraine link in Southern Saudi Arabia. Neurosciences (Riyadh). 2026;31(3):304and;ndash;314. doi:10.17712/1658-3183.2809.Alwhaibi M, Almutairi A, Jokhab S, Albilali A. Medication overuse headache and health-related quality of life for adults with migraine in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2026;15(8):2907. doi:10.3390/jcm15082907.Alsabaani A, et al. Migraine characteristics among smokers and non-smokers: a cross-sectional survey in Saudi Arabia. Healthcare. 2026;14(2):207. doi:10.3390/healthcare14020207.Qalawa SAA, et al. Migraine as an occupational health risk among nurses in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia: a multicenter study of risk perceptions and associated factors. Frontiers in Public Health. 2026;14:1789630. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1789630.Esmaeel SE, et al. Prevalence of headache: migraine and non-migraine and associated co-morbid conditions: a population-based study in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicologand;iacute;a del Ejercicio y el Deporte. 2024;19(4):467and;ndash;472.Almadani AH, et al. Prevalence of migraine among adults with mood disorders: a Saudi cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2025;25:1132. doi:10.1186/s12888-025-07601-w.Bamalan BA, et al. Prevalence of migraine among the general population, and its effect on the quality of life in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal. 2021;42(10):1103and;ndash;1108. doi:10.15537/smj.2021.42.10.20210575.Al Ghadeer HA, et al. Quality of life and disability among migraine patients: a single-center study in AlAhsa, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2021;13(11):e19210. doi:10.7759/cureus.19210.Almosaiteer SA, Rabbani U, Alharbi BA, Aldukhayel A. Quality of life and its predictors among patients with migraine in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery. 2022;58:69. doi:10.1186/s41983-022-00507-4.Attar A, et al. Real-world data on the efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA injections as prophylactic treatment for migraine: a retrospective study from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2016and;ndash;2024). Pain and Therapy. 2026;15(1):367and;ndash;377. doi:10.1007/s40122-025-00805-8.Al Maqwashi LS, et al. The association between shift work and migraine attacks among healthcare workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2024;16(1):e53315. doi:10.7759/cureus.53315.Agwa RH, et al. The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and its co-existence with migraine in medical and non-medical students at Al-Baha University, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2023;15(8):e44077. doi:10.7759/cureus.44077.Al Jumah M, Al Khathaami AM, Kojan S, Husand;oslash;y A, Steiner TJ. The burden of headache disorders in the adult general population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: estimates from a cross-sectional population-based study including a health-care needs assessment. The Journal of Headache and Pain. 2024;25:66. doi:10.1186/s10194-024-01767-6.Muayqil T, et al. Migraine and headache prevalence and associated comorbidities in a large Saudi sample. European Neurology. 2018;79(3and;ndash;4):126and;ndash;134.Almalki ZA, et al. Prevalence of migraine headache in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. 2018;10(2):125and;ndash;133.AlQarni MA, Fayi KA, Al-Sharif MN, Siddiqui AF, Alhazzani AA. Prevalence of migraine and non-migraine headache and its relation with other diseases in the adults of Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 2020;9(3):1567and;ndash;1572.Sabra O, Muhammad Ali M, Al Zayer M, Altuwaijri S. Frequency of migraine as a chief complaint in otolaryngology outpatient practice. BioMed Research International. 2015;2015:173165.Desouky DE, Zaid HA, Taha AA. Migraine, tension-type headache, and depression among Saudi female students in Taif University. Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association. 2019;94:7.Ibrahim NK, Alotaibi AK, Alhazmi AM, Alshehri RZ, Saimaldaher RN, Murad MA. Prevalence, predictors and triggers of migraine headache among medical students and interns in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2017;33(2):270and;ndash;275.Sabah ZU, et al. Clinical-epidemiology of tension-type headache among the medical and dental undergraduates of King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2022;12(12):2064.AlBarqi M, et al. Prevalence, frequency, and disability of migraine headaches and tension headaches among the general population in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Medicine and Life. 2022;15(11):1371and;ndash;1378. doi:10.25122/jml-2022-0176.Garah M, et al. Prevalence of migraine among female students at Taibah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Advanced Research. 2016;4:1526and;ndash;1534. doi:10.21474/IJAR01/995.Al-Garni MA, Alqabbaa RM, Qummosani NH, Khesfaty DM, Almutairi AF, Al-Najashi HA. The burden of headache disorder at the neurology department in a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries. 2020;4(10):1630and;ndash;1635.