Migraines: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

What are migraine headaches?

The exact cause of migraine headaches is unknown; it is thought to be due to abnormal brain activity causing a temporary alteration in the nerve signals, chemicals and blood flow in the brain.

Migraine headaches can be very debilitating affecting 1 in 4 households in America. They are more common in women than men, and 3% of people have chronic migraines where they experience symptoms for half the month for six months.¹

How common are migraines?

The prevalence of migraine headaches is high, affecting roughly 1 out of every 7 Americans annually, and has remained relatively stable over the last 8 years.

Migraine and headache are leading causes of outpatient and ED visits and remains an important public health problem, particularly among women during their reproductive years.²

The National Headache Foundation states that health care providers have properly diagnosed fewer than half of all migraine sufferers.³

Migraine is commonly misdiagnosed as tension-type headache or sinus headache.

What triggers migraine headaches?

Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches, but many cannot. Potential migraine triggers include:

§  Allergies and allergic reactions

§  Bright lights, loud noises, flickering lights, smoky rooms, temperature changes, strong smells and certain odors or perfumes

§  Physical or emotional stress, tension, anxiety, depression, excitement

§  Physical triggers such as tiredness, jet lag, exercise

§  Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep

§  Smoking or exposure to smoke

§  Skipping meals or fasting causing low blood sugar

§  Dehydration

§  Alcohol

§  Hormonal triggers such as menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth control pills, menopause

§  Tension headaches

§  Foods containing tyramine (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans), monosodium glutamate (MSG), or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs and salami)

§  Other foods such as chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus, onions, dairy products and fermented or pickled foods

§  Medication such as sleeping tablets, the contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy.

Triggers do not always cause migraines and avoiding triggers does not always prevent migraines.

 

Symptoms of migraines

Symptoms of migraine can occur a while before the headache, immediately before the headache, during the headache and after the headache. Although not all migraines are the same, typical symptoms include:

§  Moderate to severe pain, usually confined to one side of the head during an attack, but can occur on either side of the head

§  The pain is usually a severe, throbbing, pulsing pain

§  Increasing pain during physical activity

§  Inability to perform regular activities due to pain

§  Feeling sick and physically being sick

§  Increased sensitivity to light and sound, relieved by lying quietly in a darkened room

§  Some people experience other symptoms such as sweating, temperature changes, tummy ache and diarrhea.

Migraines with aura

Many people experience migraines with auras or warning signs just before or during the head pain, but many do not. Auras are perceptual disturbances such as:

§  Confusing thoughts or experiences

§  The perception of strange lights, sparkling or flashing lights

§  Zigzag lines in the visual field

§  Blind spots or blank patches in the vision

§  Pins and needles in an arm or leg

§  Difficulty speaking

§  Stiffness in the shoulders, neck or limbs

§  Unpleasant smells.

If any migraine sufferer experiences unusual or worrying features that they do not normally have, then they should seek medical help rather than blaming the migraine.

Symptoms such as unusual severe headache, visual disturbance, loss of sensation or power, difficulties with speech are all important features, which, if unusual for the sufferer, should not be ignored.

According to the National Health Service in the UK, about one-third of people who get migraines also have auras.⁴

When migraines with aura affect vision, the patient may see things that are not there, such as transparent strings of objects, not see parts of the object in front of them, or even feel as if part of their field of vision appears, disappears and then comes back again.

It is common for patients to describe the visual disturbance as similar to the sensation one has after being photographed with a very bright camera flash, especially if one walks into a darker room straight away.

For many migraine sufferers, the auras act as a warning, telling them that the headache is soon to come.

The Migraine Trust says that in adults auras usually occur before the headache, but in children they may happen at the same time.⁵

Migraine sufferers also may have premonitions know as a prodrome that can occur several hours or a day or so before the headache. These premonitions may consist of feelings of elation or intense energy, cravings for sweets, thirst, drowsiness, irritability, or depression.

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About Dinesh Lamichhane

आफ्नो परिचय खोज्नको लागी भौतारिरहेको एक आम मान्छे । भाग्यमा भन्दा कर्ममा बिश्वास गर्छु । परिचय सँगै जिवन लाई पनि बुझ्दैछु, र आफुलाई खुशी राख्ने सक्दो कोसिस गरिरहेको हुन्छु । नयाँ नयाँ ठाँउहरु घुम्न धेरै मन पर्छ । अँ कहिले काँहि मनमा लागेजति कुराहरु लेख्ने गर्छु र लेखेको कुराहरु यहि राखेको हुन्छु । हेरेपछी सुझाव दिन नबिर्सनुहोला ।