EAN 2021 | Impact of sex and gender on migraine management

Elena Lebedeva, MD, PhD, DocMedSci, Urals State Medical University, Yekaterinburg, Russia, discusses inter-sex and gender differences in how migraines are managed; women are more likely to go to the doctor due to migraines and are more likely to receive a diagnosis, whereas men are more likely to under-report symptoms. Furthermore, women often overuse prescriptions, leading to overuse headache, whereas men rarely use prescriptions. However, these statistics may not be accurate as most studies focus on women. Moreover, many clinical features of migraines are absent from males. There is a lack of understanding of migraine triggers in males; more research could be done on males migraines in men. More research could also be done on better treatment options for women with migraines. This interview took place during the European Academy of Neurology 2021 congress.