What Do We Mean By A Migraine Headache And What Are Its Symptoms?
One of the commonest migraine symptoms is an acute throbbing pain that is normally located on one side of the head close to the temple. Migraines, unlike normal headaches, are also often accompanied by additional symptoms which include sensitivity to light and noise, queasiness and sometimes vomiting.
Migraines are quite common and affect about 10% of the population of the United States, or in excess of 28 million Americans. They are also much more commonly seen in women than in men (about 3 times as many women suffer from migraine) and can also be see sometimes in children.
Despite the fact that migraine headaches are so common and normally very painful with attacks lasting anywhere from a matter of hours to several days, only roughly half of all sufferers ever consult their doctor and the rest choose to suffer in silence.
Migraine headaches had long been thought to be were the result of a of dilation of the blood vessels in the head but, even though there is no general consensus, medical opinion appears to be moving away from this theory in favor of a genetic cause for this condition. It is now believed that the condition results from the interaction of certain brain chemicals such as serotonin with the nerve cells. At this point in time however the truth of the matter is that we are really not sure what cause migraines.
In fact there are two different types of migraine, the first of which is called 'classical migraine'and is characterized by an associated 'aura'. In this case 'aura' refers to visual light effects that are experienced just prior to the arrival of a headache including things like flashing lights and bright light spots. In a few cases a total loss of vision can be experienced for some minutes before the start of the headache.
The second type of migraine is simply a migraine with no prior symptoms of an 'aura'.
In exactly the same way that we do not know what causes a migraine headache, we also have very little idea about just what triggers an attack, though there are several factors that do seem likely to trigger an attack in sufferers. For instance, too much sleep seems to be one factor and so does missing meals or eating certain foods like cheese.
Hormonal factors are also believed to influence the onset of attacks and their severity and one piece of evidence for this is the higher incidence of migraines among women. In part this is thought to be because estrogen affects the blood vessels and some studies have noted that there is a link between the contraceptive pill (which contains estrogen) and migraine headaches.
However, just to confuse matters studies have also shown that everyday activities like climbing stairs can trigger a migraine attack, as can exposure to loud noises, cold and heat, flashing lights and sometimes stress.
Happily, there are several migraine treatments available, though no one treatment is really effective in all cases. One thing which we do know though is that over-the-counter medicines are seldom effective and, if you are unlucky enough to suffer from migraine headaches, then you are best advised to ask your doctor for help in finding a solution which works for you.
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