Medical Centric

MIGRAINE

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

MIGRAINE

A migraine is a primary headache condition that is accompanied by a throbbing, painful pain usually on one side of the head.

  • Migraine isn’t just a bad headache, it is a neurological condition with intense neurological symptoms.
  • In rare cases, migraine attacks can affect both sides of the head.
  • Migraine is usually triggered by stress, hormones and sometimes the environment.
  • Migraine is the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world.
  • Migraine is recurrent and can either be moderate or severe.
  • Migraine attacks usually last between 4 to 72 hours.
  • Globally, approximately 12% of people are affected by migraine.
  • About 75% of migraine sufferers are women.
  • A chronic migraine is one of the most common causes of disability.
  • Migraine attacks can affect a person’s ability to normal everyday task.
  • Migraine is prevalent in people suffering from asthma, depression, anxiety, neurologic disorder.

CAUSES

Causes may include:

  • Certain activity in the nerves and blood vessels of the brain.
  • Family history. Children with either one parent or both parents are at higher risk of having migraine.
  • Stress
  • Lack of food or sleep
  • Hormonal changes in women, especially during menstruation
  • Anxiety
  • Exposure to light
  • Severe heat
  • Alcohol use
  • Traveling
  • Unusual smells
  • Certain foods
  • Use of certain medications, such as oral contraceptives
  • Smoking
  • Intense physical activity
  • Loud sounds

SIGN AND SYMPTOMS

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Numbness or tingling in the face, legs or arms
  • Sensitivity to light, touch, and smell
  • Sensitivity to sound
  • Blurred vision
  • Pain on one side of the head
  • Dizziness
In children symptoms may include

Regular and forceful vomiting

Involuntary eye movements

Behavioral changes

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

DIAGNOSIS

Migraine is usually diagnosed by taking a thorough medical and family history, the doctor may as well listen to your symptoms. A physical examination can be carried out to rule out other potential causes of headache. Imaging scans such as a CT scan or MRI can be used to check for a brain tumor, abnormal brain structures and if there is bleeding into the brain.

TREATMENT

Migraine attacks can’t be cured. However, treatments can help to manage them so that they appear less often and with less intensity. Many treatment plans are available, it is essential that you find the one or combinations that is a good fit. Knowing how to prevent them can often be the first step in managing migraines. The treatment plan may depend on age, type of migraine, how often they occur, level of severity, duration, symptoms experienced, and other health conditions present. To treat migraine, one or more of the following can be combined:

  • The doctor may prescribe migraine medications that you take every day to help prevent migraines. The most commonly prescribed are triptans (Maxalt, Relpax, Frova, Amerge).
  • Your doctor may also prescribe migraine medication(s) that you take at the onset of a headache to keep it from becoming severe.
  • Medications to help with nausea and vomiting.
  • Stress management
  • Over-the-counter pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and
  • Self-care remedies
  • Counseling
  • Hormone therapy if migraine occurs in relation to the menstrual
  • Therapy biofeedback techniques to help reduce triggers such as stress.