|
What Do We Mean When We Talk About A Migraine And What Are Its Signs And Symptoms?
One of the most frequent migraine symptoms is an acute throbbing pain which is normally situated on only one side of the head near to the area of the temple. Migraines are also frequently accompanied by other symptoms which include sensitivity to light and noise, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Migraines are reasonably common and affect about one in ten people in the United States, or in excess of 28 million Americans. They are also far more often seen in women than in men (about 3 times as many women suffer from migraine) and can also be see sometimes in children.
Although migraines are so common and frequently very painful with an attack lasting anything from a matter of hours to two or three days, only roughly half of all sufferers consult their physician and the remainder elect to suffer in silence.
It had long been thought migraines were the result of a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, in spite of the fact that there is no general consensus, medical opinion appears to be moving away from this theory in favor of a genetic basis for this problem. Current thinking is that migraines results from the interaction of certain brain chemicals such as serotonin with the nerve cells. At present however the truth is that we are really not sure what cause a migraine headache.
There are in fact two forms of migraine, the first of which is referred to as 'classical migraine', which is characterized by an accompanying 'aura'. Here the term 'aura' is used to refer to visual light effects that are experienced just before the arrival of a headache including things like bright light spots and flashing lights. In a few cases a complete loss of vision may be experienced for several minutes before the arrival of the headache.
The second type of migraine is a migraine with no prior symptoms of an 'aura'.
Just as we do not know what causes a migraine, we also have little idea about just what triggers an attack, though there are a number of factors that do seem likely to trigger an attack in sufferers. For instance, getting too much sleep seems to be one factor and so does skipping meals or eating particular foods such as cheese.
Hormones are also believed to influence the onset of attacks and their severity and one piece of evidence for this is the increased incidence of migraines in women. This in part is thought to be because estrogen affects the blood vessels and some studies have noted that there is a link between the contraceptive pill (containing estrogen) and migraines.
However, just to confuse matters studies have also shown that everyday activities like walking up stairs can trigger an attack, as can exposure to heat or cold, loud noises, flashing lights and sometimes stress.
Happily, there are a number of migraine treatments available today, although no one treatment is really effective in all cases. Over-the-counter medications are however rarely effective and, if you are unlucky enough to suffer from migraines, you would be best advised to seek the help of your physician in finding a solution which works for you.
|
