What are migraine headaches?
The exact cause of migraine headaches is unknown; it is thought to be due to abnormal brain activity causing a temporary alteration in the nerve signals, chemicals and blood flow in the brain.
Lady holding head in pain
Migraine headaches can be very debilitating.
Migraine headaches can be very debilitating affecting 1 in 4 households in America. They are more common in women than men, and 3% of people have chronic migraines where they experience symptoms for half the month for six months.1
How common are migraines?
The prevalence of migraine headaches is high, affecting roughly 1 out of every 7 Americans annually, and has remained relatively stable over the last 8 years.
Migraine and headache are leading causes of outpatient and ED visits and remains an important public health problem, particularly among women during their reproductive years.2
The National Headache Foundation states that health care providers have properly diagnosed fewer than half of all migraine sufferers.3
Migraine is commonly misdiagnosed as tension-type headache or sinus headache.
What triggers migraine headaches?
Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches, but many cannot. Potential migraine triggers include:
Allergies and allergic reactions
Bright lights, loud noises, flickering lights, smoky rooms, temperature changes, strong smells and certain odors or perfumes
Physical or emotional stress, tension, anxiety, depression, excitement
Physical triggers such as tiredness, jet lag, exercise
Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep
Smoking or exposure to smoke
Skipping meals or fasting causing low blood sugar
Dehydration
Alcohol
Hormonal triggers such as menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth control pills, menopause
Tension headaches
Foods containing tyramine (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans), monosodium glutamate (MSG), or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs and salami)
Other foods such as chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus, onions, dairy products and fermented or pickled foods
Medication such as sleeping tablets, the contraceptive pill, hormone replacement therapy.
Triggers do not always cause migraines and avoiding triggers does not always prevent migraines.
Recent developments on the possible causes of migraine headaches from MNT news
Is there an association between obesity and migraines?
A higher percentage of obese people have episodic (occasional) migraines compared to individuals with a healthy body weight, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported in the journal Neurology.
Scientists find migraine gene mutation
A team of scientists, including Emily A. Bates, PhD, from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Brigham Young University, who has been plagued by migraines since her teens, have identified a gene mutation that increases a person’s susceptibility to migraines. They published their findings in Science Translational Medicine (May 2013 issue).
Symptoms of migrainesFortifikation (Migräne)
Migraine with aura – zigzag objects affect visionGesichtsfeldausfall (Brandenburger Tor Blaue Stunde) 1
Migraine with aura – vision is lost on one sideNegatives Skotom (Brandenburger Tor Blaue Stunde) 1
Migraine with aura – structures and contrasts are lostPositives Skotom (Brandenburger Tor Blaue Stunde) 1
Migraine with aura – structures that are not there are perceived
Symptoms of migraine can occur a while before the headache, immediately before the headache, during the headache and after the headache. Although not all migraines are the same, typical symptoms include:
Moderate to severe pain, usually confined to one side of the head during an attack, but can occur on either side of the head
The pain is usually a severe, throbbing, pulsing pain
Increasing pain during physical activity
Inability to perform regular activities due to pain
Feeling sick and physically being sick
Increased sensitivity to light and sound, relieved by lying quietly in a darkened room
Some people experience other symptoms such as sweating, temperature changes, tummy ache and diarrhea.
Migraines with aura
Many people experience migraines with auras or warning signs just before or during the head pain, but many do not. Auras are perceptual disturbances such as:
Confusing thoughts or experiences
The perception of strange lights, sparkling or flashing lights
Zigzag lines in the visual field
Blind spots or blank patches in the vision
Pins and needles in an arm or leg
Difficulty speaking
Stiffness in the shoulders, neck or limbs
Unpleasant smells.
If any migraine sufferer experiences unusual or worrying features that they do not normally have, then they should seek medical help rather than blaming the migraine.
Symptoms such as unusual severe headache, visual disturbance, loss of sensation or power, difficulties with speech are all important features, which, if unusual for the sufferer, should not be ignored.
According to the National Health Service in the UK, about one-third of people who get migraines also have auras.4
When migraines with aura affect vision, the patient may see things that are not there, such as transparent strings of objects, not see parts of the object in front of them, or even feel as if part of their field of vision appears, disappears and then comes back again.
It is common for patients to describe the visual disturbance as similar to the sensation one has after being photographed with a very bright camera flash, especially if one walks into a darker room straight away.
For many migraine sufferers, the auras act as a warning, telling them that the headache is soon to come.
The Migraine Trust says that in adults auras usually occur before the headache, but in children they may happen at the same time.5
Migraine sufferers also may have premonitions know as a prodrome that can occur several hours or a day or so before the headache. These premonitions may consist of feelings of elation or intense energy, cravings for sweets, thirst, drowsiness, irritability, or depression.
MNT DT
