Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Migraine is considered to be one of the most severe types of headache. In addition, migraine is often accompanied by aura - visual disturbances, photosensitivity, nausea and often vomiting. Despite the high frequency of this disease - it is estimated that up to 15 percent of the population can struggle with migraines - to date, it has not been possible to clearly determine the causes of migraines. There is much better understanding of how to manage migraine headaches - so what is the basis of migraine treatment?

Migraine( migraine headaches ) are one of the distinguished primary headaches (i.e. those that do not result from the existence of any other medical condition).

Unfortunately, this problem is relatively common - it is estimated that up to 15% of the world's population may struggle with migraines. Fortunately, the statistics on the prevalence of migraine headaches in the Polish population are slightly different, as it turns out that in our country about 8% of citizens suffer from this problem.

Migraine typically begins at a young age - in the vast majority of patientsthe first attack of migraineoccurs before the fourth decade of life.

Migraine can actually develop at any age - it happens that this type of headache occurs in children, and it is possible that the first episode of migraine may not develop until old age.

Migraines are commonly considereda typically female problem- rightly so, because 3/4 of all migraine sufferers are actually ladies.

Migraine: types

The basic classification of migraines takes into account two forms of this disease:

  • migraine without aura(accounting, according to some authors, up to 70-90% of all cases of this unit)
  • migraine with aura

Sometimes, however, there are other types of migraine, such as :

  • menstrual migraine
  • ocular migraine
  • abdominal migraine(in the case of the latter, however, many researchers suggest that such a problem does not exist at all)

It also mentions issues such as:

  • chronic migraine(referred to when the patient experiences migraine attacks for at least 15 days a month for at least threemonths)
  • migraine state(referred to when a single migraine attack persists for more than 72 hours)

Migraine: causes

Despite the fact that migraine is a common disease, to this day it has not been possible to clearly establish its exactcauses . It is generally believed that the pathogenesis of migraine is multifactorial - bothgenesand variousenvironmental factorscan contribute to this problem.

The fact that genetic conditions may be the causes of migraines is convinced primarily by the fact that even in 2/3 of cases this problem occurs in families. There are also some genetically determined diseases, one of the manifestations of which are migraine headaches - as an example of such a unit we can mentionCADASIL syndrome .

The role of genes in the development of migraines can also be convinced by the results of studies conducted on twins - it turns out that when one of them struggles with migraine headaches, there is a risk that this problem will appear in the other twin, may even reach over 50%.

It is also noticeable that various environmental factors may be associated with migraine attacks in humans. These are known astriggers of migraine headachesand it may be really surprising what specifically may be associated with migraines.

Migraine: triggers

Sex hormonesseem to play a role in the onset of migraines. This conclusion was made on the basis that the problem is more common in women, but also because various situations related to changes in the levels of sex hormones in the body - such as menstruation, pregnancy or menopause - may be associated with migraine headaches.

May also increase the risk of migrainesfatigue , severe stress orinsufficient or excessive sleep .

Some people associate the occurrence of migraines witheating certain foods- such foods may be particularly conducive to migraines, e.g. highly processed foods and foods that contain large amounts of s alt.

A migraine can be triggered by the consumption of alcohol, but also by drinking beverages containing large amounts of caffeine.

There are also situations where migraine develops due to atmospheric changes (e.g.rapid changes in atmospheric pressure ), and it may appear after some exertion, such as even …sexual contact .

Migraine: pathomechanism

So far, scientists have not managed to manage the causes and pathomechanism of migrainesunequivocally determine. There are at least several theories as to whatCNS disorderstrigger a migraine.

One of them is thevascular theory , according to which migraine headaches are associated with a cascade of several phenomena. According to the vascular theory, migraine occurs when the intracranial arteries first contract, then relax, and finally a specific swelling develops around them.

In this situation, the pain would appear due to excessive blood flow in the brain and the aforementioned edema, in addition, it would also be conditioned by an increasedrelease of mediators related to the perception of pain(e.g. substances P).

Another theory regarding the pathomechanism of migraines is thetheory of inflammation of the nervous tissue , according to which the disease would be associated with aseptic inflammation in the nervous system, which, in simple terms, would irritate various fibers and receptors and therefore lead to migraine pain.

It is also suggested thattoo low amounts of one of the neurotransmittersin the nervous system - serotonin may also contribute to the occurrence of migraines.

Some researchers believe that in fact migraine develops as a result of the coexistence of all these mechanisms.

Migraine: Symptoms

Migraine can be very different - a lot depends on what form the patient has. There are also different ailments that occur in people struggling with this problem - there are even4 periods of a migraine episode , which are:

  • prodromal period( announcing- it may begin a few hours or a few days before the migraine, its symptoms include:
    • mood drop
    • irritability
    • slight hypersensitivity to various stimuli
  • migraine aura(set of symptoms that appear immediately before the migraine headache)
  • migraine attack
  • postdromal stage(a syndrome of ailments that occurs after the headache has subsided, which may include: discomfort in the place where the pain or feeling of weakness was previously located and fatigue)

It is worth taking a closer look at the key aspect related to these headaches, namely the attack of migraine. The typical symptoms of migraines are:

  • usually unilateral, severe headache(which patients usually locatein the area behind the eye ,in the temple and forehead ), lasting from 4 to 72hours; it is pulsating and usually distracting
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • hypersensitivity to various stimuli(mainly to light, smells and sound)
  • vegetative disorders(i.e. resulting from the abnormal function of the autonomic nervous system)

Migraine unequal migraineand we are even talking about different seizures that occur in the same patient. Migraine pain is indeed typically one-sided, but it is also possible that the patient will experiencebilateral pain .

It happens that the pain in subsequent attacks has the same location as in situations where the patient's pain is located on the right and sometimes on the left side of the head.

The frequency of migraines also varies from person to person - one patient may have migraines in a very short time, another may even have a break of several months between one and the next migraine attack.

However, one feature of migraine pain is common to all patients - this ispain so severethat it leads to difficulties in normal functioning. People who experience migraines tend to avoid company, isolate themselves, and prefer to stay in a dark, quiet room.

Migraine: recognition

Onlymedical history- the diagnosis can be made on the basis of patient reporting typical migraine symptoms.

Occasionally, however, people who experience symptoms possibly resulting from migraine attacks may undergo certain tests, such as electroencephalography (EEG) or head imaging studies (e.g. computed tomography).

These tests are not intended to identify migraine headaches themselves, but to rule out any other possible underlying cause of the patient's symptoms.

The most important units in the differential diagnosis of migraine include

  • meningitis
  • inflammation of the temporal artery
  • acute attack of glaucoma
  • subarachnoid hemorrhage

Migraine: treatment

There are two types of migraine treatment:emergency treatmentand lprophylactic treatment . The medication taken by the patient on an ad hoc basis is aimed at subsiding (or at least reducing) the migraine attack experienced by the patient at the moment. In this case, patients are recommended primarily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and preparations from the group oftriptans.

In addition to acute treatment, the treatment of migraine may also include prophylactic effects, i.e. preventing seizures from occurring. In his case, other than ad hoc preparations are used, such as, for example, propranolol, valproic acid or tricyclic antidepressants.

In addition to pharmacological treatment, sometimes attempts are made to implement alternative forms of therapy in patients with migraine headaches.

As their examples one can give, among others acupuncture, but also biofeedback, transcranial brain stimulation or even surgical treatment of migraines.

Read more: Migraine Treatment

Can migraines be completely cured?

Migraine is unfortunately a chronic disease- the ways in which it could be completely cured are unknown. However, it is impossible to predict how often a given patient will struggle with attacks of migraine headaches.

In some patients, prophylactic treatment enables a significant reduction in the frequency of migraines, while in others they still occur frequently. It also happens that one person struggling with this problem experiences episodes of migraines several or a dozen or so times a month, while another has only a few migraine headaches throughout his life.

Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Category:

Neurology