A detailed description of the main signs of migraine

1 Description of the pathology

Headaches are one of the most common reasons for consulting a family doctor. Statistics show that everyone at least once in his life experienced headaches, so headaches are a frequent problem in patients. The most common of these are pains with an original character, i.e.which are rarely the result of a serious illness( symptomatic headaches).One of the most common primary headaches is migraine.

Migraine is a disease of a global scale. It is considered the most common disease of the nervous system, with which patients turn to the doctor, and is also one of the most frequent chronic ailments of a person. It is believed that migraine occurs in 10-15% of the population as a whole. Predisposed to the disease are women who suffer from it 4 times more often than men. The first attacks of headache usually appear in childhood or at a young age, and the peak incidence is observed between 25 and 55 years.

2 Diagnostic measures

The difference between the classic form of migraine and other headaches, as a rule, does not cause difficulties in diagnosis. Attacks of pain with migraines are very characteristic and do not require in-depth diagnosis( for example, do not require computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging).

It should, however, be borne in mind that in less typical cases that are resistant to treatment or proceed with anxiety symptoms, further detailed diagnosis is required to exclude other causes of headache( eg, brain tumor, eye disease).Disturbing signs are, in particular: the emergence of neurological symptoms during periods of illness, changes in patient behavior, high blood pressure( headaches may be due to hypertension), morning vomiting and stiff neck. In such cases, additional laboratory tests should be performed as recommended by the physician.

3 What are the symptoms of

? The patient who first experiences, as a rule, has difficulties describing the nature of the headache with which he is dealing. The most important pain symptoms that help diagnose a migraine with a classic course are:

• a one-sided headache, most often the pain is localized in the temple and eyeball, over time it spreads to half the face, less often to the entire head or starts around the occiput;
• paroxysmal headache( often recurring);
• mean or severe severity of headache;
• duration from 4 to 72 hours in adults( in children about 1 hour);
• pain intensifies under the influence of ordinary, daily activity.

Headaches accompany:

• nausea or aversion to food;
• phonophobia;
• photophobia( sensitivity to light, photophobia);
• osmophobia;Atrial scotoma.

4 Migraine with atrial scotoma

Migraine can occur with a so-called aura( migraine with aura).Aura is defined as the occurrence of focal neurological symptoms before the onset of a headache. These symptoms take the form of visual disorders or speech disorders.

A common form is the visual aura - basically the so-called ciliary scotoma( appears as an expanding stain in the patient before the eyes), flashes or defects in the field of vision. Some patients complain of visual sensations, like glowing waves moving in front of their eyes, or luminous points that increase in size. Another common type of aura is a sensory aura, manifested, for example, by tingling half the face, one hand, or numbness of the half of the body.

To recognize the aura, you need to identify at least one neurological symptom that touches the cortex or brainstem. Symptoms from the nervous system( aura) increase gradually, within a few minutes( 5-20 minutes) and last up to 60 minutes( there are cases of migraine with a prolonged aura lasting more than 60 minutes, but less than 7 days).

5 Concomitant symptoms of

Additional symptoms of migraine are prodromal symptoms( omens of the onset of headache).

Some patients experience the so-called prodromal headache symptoms that occur even before the onset of migraine. Usually they occur several hours before the attack of a migraine. These include a feeling of fatigue or excitement, excessive thirst, stiff neck, yawning or appetite for sweets.

Many patients complain of the appearance of autonomic symptoms( accompanying headaches), for example, chills, sweating, palpitation, diarrhea, shortness of breath, yawning, polyuria or fever. Can go to fainting or unpleasant dizziness.

The appearance of the patients is another symptom that facilitates the diagnosis of migraine: a suffering facial expression, pale skin and dark circles under the eyes. Severe migraine attacks affect 25% of people suffering from this disease. The disease causes the sick to stay in bed 24 hours a day, mostly in a dark room, and any manifestation of activity exacerbates discomfort.

6 Provoking Factors of

Despite the fact that there are no causes of migraine and its attacks in most people occur spontaneously, some of the patients showed the presence of factors that can provoke migraine attacks. Such triggers of migraine attacks are, in particular:

• menstruation;
• hormonal preparations for women( eg, oral contraceptive pills, hormone therapy);
• alcohol( especially red wine);
• some drinks( for example, coffee, tea);
• some products( for example, chocolate, fatty meat);
• intense odors( eg, gasoline, perfume, paint);
• some drugs( eg, nitrates);
• stress;
• sleep disorders;
• prolonged hunger;
• changes in the weather.

It is worth remembering that factors triggering seizures are very volatile. Nevertheless, the factors that can activate migraine attacks should be actively sought, in order to effectively eliminate them and prevent the onset of the disease.

In addition to the classic types of migraine( with aura, without aura), these properties also have special symptoms that can create difficulties in diagnosis. Therefore, it is very important for the doctor to obtain a detailed description of the morphology of the attack of the headache and concomitant diseases.

7 What can help

When a headache, it is recommended to lie down in a dark, quiet room to fall asleep and reduce the bouts of pain. Migraine can last several hours, often all day, day, rarely 2-3 days.

Alternative methods of treating migraines can be used. These include, above all:

• acupuncture;
• massage( acupressure);
• aromatherapy.

Acupuncture is a method of treatment consisting in tingling the body with special needles in the right places. Places determine the energy lines of the body, which, according to Chinese medicine, are responsible for equalizing the energy potential of the human body. The mechanism of action of this method has not been fully understood. It is believed that its goal is to stabilize the level of serotonin in the brain.

Acupressure massage is a massage method that stimulates the same points that are used during the procedure of acupuncture.

Aromatherapy uses the properties of essential oils to treat a migraine attack. The best results come from essential oils of rosemary, mint and chamomile. It is recommended to add essential oils to the bath or use them for body massage.

Although in medicine there is no remedy that can cure migraines, but there are many ways that relieve migraine symptoms.

It is necessary to avoid factors that provoke the development of another attack. It is necessary to adhere to the program of relief and prevention of migraines, developed by the doctor. This, though, will not relieve the disease, but still the symptoms will bother less.