Migraine is a neurological disease with a range of symptoms caused by sensitive neurons firing upon presentation of a trigger. Triggers can be environmental or related to diet or hormones. Migraine can be potentially dangerous and sufferers are more likely to suffer a stroke. New drugs are available to manage the disease.
Long thought to be a particularly serious type of headache, migraine is now classified as a neurological disease with a number of causes and a variety of symptoms, ranging from bothersome to life-threatening. Unlike ordinary headaches, which are felt when the blood vessels in the head constrict, migraines are felt when they expand. If a sufferer takes medicine for a normal headache, it will only make the pain and other symptoms worse.
Those suffering from the condition can experience a wide range of effects, from crippling pain to sensitivity to light, from having difficulty speaking to seeing points of light or auras. These symptoms are thought to be caused by overly sensitive neurons firing in a cascading effect upon presentation of a trigger.
A number of different triggers can instigate migraines in those who are susceptible. Some are beyond the individual’s control, such as particular weather patterns or phases of the menstrual cycle. Other triggers can be identified and avoided; these include foods such as chocolate, fish, some cheeses, and monosodium glutamate. Smoke, bright lights, or certain odors can also play an environmental role.
Because the causes of migraines are invisible, it is all too easy for those around the sufferer to minimize the problem. Migraine should be taken seriously; the pain is quite real and potentially dangerous. At worst, it can lead to life-threatening aneurysms or strokes, and migraine sufferers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke as non-migraine sufferers. Birth control pills can increase your risk, so women with migraines should talk to a doctor before choosing this birth control method.
There is no genetic component known to have a predisposition to migraines. Some forms of epilepsy can affect some sufferers, such that a migraine can trigger an attack and vice versa.
New drugs are now available to help manage this disease. They are of two types: one is taken regularly to prevent or reduce the likelihood of attacks and the other is taken at the onset of migraine to stop its evolution.
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