Migraine
Migraine is a frequently recurring headache attacks characterized by throbbing or pulsating pain usually affecting one side of the head and lasting 4-72 hours. The name of migraine comes from a Greek word megrim- a distortion from “hemicrania” (means half a head which emphasizes one-sided nature of pain). Migraine is a very common disease and is not associated with race, climate or location.
Women suffering from migraine outnumber men 4 to 1. It is explained by frequent drops in estrogen level in women. Migraine attacks usually start in a teen age or in the youth and have a tendency to recede with age (after 45 in men, and in menopause in women).There are two main types of migraine:
1. Common migraine, also known as migraine without aura
2. Classic migraine known as migraine with aura
In most cases aura implies symptoms causing vision disorders. Other symptoms associated with aura are hearing impairment, perturbation, movement and mental disorders. The phase of aura usually lasts from 4 to 60 minutes. The number of patients with classic migraine (with aura) makes up 15% of all migraine patients.
Causes of migraine
The symptoms of migraine are caused by changes in cerebral blood vessels; however, the causes of these changes are still unknown. About 70 % of migraine patients had inherited predisposing to this disease. Other factors promoting development of migraine are: stress, physical overload(e.g. exercise-induced migraines), nerve strain, some foods(nuts, chocolate, cheese, fish), alcohol(especially red wine, beer, champagne), hormonal disorders(periods, oral contraceptives), sleep (too much or lack of it), weather factors (weather or climate changes).
Symptoms of migraine
As a rule migraine manifests itself in a form of acute pulsating growing pain localized in one hemisphere. Other migraine symptoms:
* Excessive sensitivity to light and noise
* Vomiting
* Nausea
*Sleepiness
* General weakness
* Moving function disorders
* Vision disorders (flickering zigzags, spirals or light flashes before eyes). This is the so-called aura stage preceding migraine attack.
During migraine attack light and noise could be unbearably irritating, and you may experience pain on movement. Usually migraine attacks start suddenly; however, in some cases patients may have premonitory symptoms such as craving for sweet food, depression or fatigue.
Since acute headache could be a symptom of some other disease, consult a doctor, especially if the pain does not get better within 24 hours and is accompanied by fever or neck muscle stiffness. It also makes sense to see a doctor if your headache is accompanied by some unusual symptoms.
Prevention of migraine
There are some factors which may induce migraine attacks. They include:
* Stress and depression
* Malnutrition or starving
* Smoking
* Certain foods (e.g. cheese, chocolate, nuts, fish, Chinese food, bananas)
* too much or lack of sleep
* Drinks containing caffeine (tea, cola, coffee)
* Alcohol, especially red wine
* Oral contraceptives
* Biorhythm disorders caused by long-distance travels.
* Change of climate or habitual environment
* Hormonal changes in women (in the period of pregnancy, menstruation or menopause)
Try to avoid them to prevent migraine attacks.
Sometimes it is rather difficult to determine the causes of migraine. Very often combination of several factors may become a cause for it. However, even a defined trigger may be a cause of some migraine attacks, but not all of them. Moreover, all the risk factors are individual- some of them could be absolutely safe for some patients, but quite risky for others.
Diagnosing migraine
For diagnosing migraine your physician need to know about the symptoms and frequency of the attacks. You may also be required to undergo an examination and do some tests.
Besides that, your doctor may ask you to keep a record of your attacks during 2-3 months to follow the scheme of initiation of migraine attack. A specific scheme retraced in your migraine attack history suggests certain factors causing migraine.
Treatment of migraine
If you anticipate a migraine attack, stop anything you do, lie down in a dark noise-isolated room and take a tablet of aspirin or paracetamol. If these measures turn ineffective, your doctor may prescribe “stronger” and more “migraine-orientated” medicines such as Cafergot, Midrin, Migranol, Inderal, Depakote, etc. These medicines work better if taken just at the start of the attack, especially if the headache is accompanied by nausea.
If you have migraine attack once or twice a week, consult your doctor so that he could prescribe right medicines for you, since aspirin and paracetamol are not likely to work in this case.
If you notice that your migraine attack s start under an influence of some factors, try to avoid these factors to prevent migraine in the future.