A family history of migraine is the most potent and consistent risk factor for migraine, warns Dr Jaideep Bansal.
Headache is one of the most common reasons patients seek medical attention.
Severe headache can have different causes especially if it has been recurring from many years.
The underlying cause may be serious or even life threatening.
Recurrent chronic headaches are usually not life threatening but may be quite disabling, as they affect day to day functioning and may hamper the quality of life.
So how does one differentiate a regular headache from migraine?
On World Brain Day, celebrated July 22 here are some facts you must know.
What is migraine?
Migraine is a very common disorder in which a patient experiences episodic, recurrent and usually unilateral headache, often pulsatile character, may be associated with nausea and vomiting.
It may begin in childhood but usually begins in adolescence, or early adult life in 80% of the patients.
Its frequency decreases with advancing age but it may worsen in some postmenopausal women.
Activation of the trigemino-vascular system, leading to an inflammatory response that is generated by local neural mechanisms has been assigned a role in migraine headache.
In migraine patients it has being found in PET (positron emission tomography) scan that there is activation of an area in pons (area between medulla and midbrain that co-ordinates between two hemispheres of the brain) during the attack.
Typically, migraine can be two types:
Migraine with aura (classic migraine)
Patients may have aura before the onset of headache. Aura may be in the form of visual disturbances with flashes of light or zigzag lines or other neurologic symptoms.
Migraine with aura, frequently occurs after awakening, but may occur at any time of the day
Migraine without aura (common migraine)
In these patients there’s no aura prior to the onset of headache. It is five times more common than the classic Migraine
Warning signs
If you experience one of these signs, it's time to take migraine seriously.
The causes
There are several migraine triggers, including:
Difference between migraine and normal headache
In migraine, headache is usually episodic, starts with half of the head, throbbing type of ache along with nausea and vomiting.
Common headache is generally caused due to stress and it affects both sides of the head.
It is usually dull, stretching type of headache. This is not associated with nausea or vomiting. It is not photophobic or ensitive to light and sound.
A family history of migraine is the most potent and consistent risk factor for migraine, with a two-to-three-fold greater chances of migraine among relatives of people with migraine.
In common headache family history is not relevant.
In some patients, migraine is activated by specific triggers. In common headache there’s no such trigger.
Migraine needs specific treatment and management. Common headache may be managed by minor lifestyle modifications and painkillers.
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