MIGRAINE

 Many people are talking to social media sites such as twitter to share the agony of their migraine pain, sharing the agony with other sufferers on social media indicates a trend towards the cathartic sharing of physical pain as well as emotional pain . Migraine poses a huge public health problem, harming mood, productivity and overall quality of life. An estimated 12% of the western world population suffer migraine attacks and of those 75% see reduced functionally and 30% require bed rest.

Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by repeated attacks of several headaches. A migraine headache causes throbbing and pulsating pain, usually on only one side of the head. A migraine is not simply a bad headache. A migraine is an intense headache accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea (feeling sick), visual problems and an increased sensitivity to light or sound.

The intense throbbing , pulsating pain, and excruciating pain that accompanies a migraine can be so debilitating more than 90% of sufferers are unable to work or function normally during an attack. Around two-third of adults who experience migraine is women.  About one in five women and one in ten men in the united state have experienced a migraine or severe headache in the first three months and migraine ranks as one of the top 20 most disabling medical conditions worldwide. A migraine can last up to 72 hours and the 14 million people that suffer from chronic migraines live in fear of their next attack, knowing that it can happen at any time, without warning. Although, migraines are not life threatening and do not shortens people’s life expectancies. They can significantly damage the quality of people’s lives (Migraine Research Foundation, 2013).

Types of migraine:

There are 2 types of migraine:

1)    Hemiplegic migraine:

People with hemiplegic migraine experience paralysis or weakness on one side of the body, disturbance in speech and vision, symptoms can last for several days.

a)    Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM ):

Is an inherited genetic migraine disorder that causes hemiplegic migraine. If parents, siblings or child has FHM, the chances you will have FHM are higher.

b)    Sporadic hemiplegic migraine (SHM ):

Occur in people without the genetic disorder and without a family history of hemiplegic migraine.

2)    Ophthalmic migraine:

Also sometime called ocular or retinal migraine are rare migraine variants characterized by repeated instances of visual disturbances such as blind spots or blindness on one side of the field of vision.

Migraine Aura:

Around one in five people who experience migraine experience an aura before their attack. An aura is a warning sign that a migraine is about to happen. People commonly experience an aura between 20 minutes and one hour before the headache stage of their migraine. The main symptoms of aura are visual problems such as blurred vision (difficulty focusing), blind spots, and flashes of light or a zigzag pattern moving from the central field of vision towards the edge. Other aura symptoms include tingling sensation ( pins & needles ) in the face, lips and tongue or in the arms and legs, speech problems such as slurred speech, dizziness, a stiff neck, and a very rarely loss of consciousness.

Symptoms of Migraine:

The main symptoms of migraine are an intense throbbing or headache often affecting the front or one side of the head, nausea (feeling sick), and vomiting and increased sensitivity to light and sound. The throbbing headache is often made worse by the person moving. Other symptoms of migraine might include poor concentration, feeling hot or cold, perspiration (sweating) and increased need to pass urine. People might also experience stomach and diarrhea. It is common for people t feel tired for up to two or three days after migraine.

Migraine causes:

The exact cause of migraine is still unknown; it seems to be an electrical disturbance in the brains of people who experience an aura before their attack, there appear to be change in the blood vessels in the brain. People with high blood pressure are at a high risk of experiencing migraine. Women are more than twice as likely as men to experience migraine. This is due to hormonal factors. Women might find that they experience a migraine just before or just after the start of their periods.

Some women find that oral contraception (the pills) can trigger migraine. It might be women experience migraine as they approach the menopause or that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) triggers migraine.

Migraine triggers:

There are various factors which might trigger a migraine. Each is different and you should try to identify which factor might apply to you and try to avoid them. Many people find that they are able to that one of the triggers o is own but a combination of more than one trigger can push them over their threshold and cause an attack.

1)    Emotional triggers:

Include stress, anxiety, excitement and shock.

2)    Physical triggers:

Include tiredness, irregular sleep, tension in the neck & shoulder, eye stress (for example after using a computer screen) and dental problem (for example teeth grinding).

3)    Dietary trigger:

Include lack of food (dieting), irregular meals, dehydration, alcohol, caffeine, certain food such as chocolate, cheese, citrus fruits, certain food additives such as monosodium glutamate ( MSG ), aspartame ( a sweetener ), nitrates.

4)    Environmental triggers:

Include bright light, loud noise, and smoky environment.

5)    Other triggers:

Other triggers include smoking and some sleeping tablets.

Treatment of migraine:

1)    Most people find that lying down in a quite dark room reduces the pain of migraine.

2)    Sleeping (If you are able) can also help to treat migraine.

3)    Some people find that symptoms die down after they have vomited.

4)    Some people find that pain relief medications like paracetamol, aspirin, and anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen are effective, especially if they take them at the very first sign of an attack.

5)    People might also benefit from anti-sickness medications.

6)    People might be prescribed general strong pain relief medication such as Triptan which is a specific migraine medication. If situation does not improve after treatment than you might referred to a specialist migraine clinic.

 

Who is at risk for a Migraine headache?

The risk factors for migraine headache include:

1)    Age:

Most people will experience their first migraine headache before or during adolescence

2)    Family history:

Migraine headache can be hereditary. More than 75% of people who suffer from migraine headache have a parent or sibling who has migraine.

3)    Gender:

Women are three times more likely to have migraine headaches than men. Women who have migraine headaches have more frequent migraine compared to men who experience migraine.

.

      Tips to prevent Migraine:

1)    Stay on a regular sleep schedule

2)    Eat regularly

3)    Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated & trying to avoid stress

4)    Avoid food triggers such as caffeine, chocolate, cheese, alcohol, red wine.

5)    Exercise regularly

6)    Avoid stressful situations

            

NAZNEEN ZULFIQAR, PHARM-D, KU

LOWESTOFT, SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM

Browse More Articles

Tweet

Written by Unknown

OpenDoor aims to provide Health Awareness. l OpenDoor is a platform used to Learn and Coach.