Migraine : What Is a Migraine Attack
Most migraines (very intense headaches) start when a person is young and sometimes many family members suffer with them. Most suffers will go to bed as the headache (usually on one side) takes hold and which could last a matter of a few hours but if left without attention, could last for days. Once the attack is over, the victim will still feel exhausted and not able to do much for some time.
Some sufferers only experience only one attack per year whereas for someone who is liable to frequent attacks, this in the range of one or two every month. Certain symptoms are common for many sufferers including a problem with bright lights, sometimes even dull light, in addition to flu like chills and lightheadedness. Migraine is most prevalent in people between the ages of ten to forty years old; almost no cases are recorded after the age of 50.
It is quite common for members of the same family group to suffer with migraine attacks; even though there may be a link, so far it has eluded medical science. There is a condition that causes an inflammation of blood vessels in the brain and it is possible that people who suffer have sensitivity in this area. Another area that still isn’t fully understood is why these headaches are more prevalent in women with approximately three times as many women suffering than men; only one in twelve men will experience an attack in their lives.
A number of people have a warning when they are about to have an attack which is called migraine with aura which can be anywhere between ten minutes to half an hour before the actual attack. The warning signs may include:
*Feeling of sickness *Enlarged blind spots *Sense of smell and taste is affected *Lack of sensation in sufferers extremities
other symptoms exist but these appear to common with most people. However, the condition that’s most common is a migraine without aura where the pain increases in one area of the head; these victims have no warning, but the symptoms can also be intensified if they move to much.
The exact reason for having migraine is not clear and yet to be discovered but one assumption is that the blood vessels in areas of the brain become narrower which may be the explanation for the aura. This narrowing of vessels then leads to an expansion and this pressure change may be the reason for the headache; whatever the cause, sufferers all agree that an attack stops them from doing anything in their daily lives until it has receded. A sufferer could have one or more triggers to each attack; the most common complaints are highlighted below:
*Weather *Certain types of food *Being at great height *Drinks *Very bright internal lighting *Not enough food *Anxiety
It is for a person to keep a check to see if they have a pattern by which they can avoid situations that could lead to an attack.
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