Thursday, 29 July 2010
Signs and Symptoms
1. The prodrome, which occurs hours or days before the headache.
2. The aura, which immediately precedes the headache.
3. The pain phase, also called headache phase.
4. The postdrome.
[edit] Prodrome phase
Prodromal signs occur in 40–60% of migraineurs (migraine sufferers). This phase may consist of altered mood, irritability, depression or euphoria, fatigue, yawning, excessive sleepiness, craving for definite food (e.g. chocolate), stiff muscles ( in the neck), hot ears, constipation or diarrhea, increased urination, & other visceral signs.[13] These signs usually precede the headache phase of the migraine assault by several hours or days, & experience teaches the patient or observant relatives how to detect that a migraine assault is near.
[edit] Aura phase
Screenshot of a YouTube video showing a computer simulation of visual field defects in the coursework of migraine with aura based on a neural network.[14]
For the 20–30%[15][16] of migraine sufferers who experience migraine with aura, this aura comprises focal neurological phenomena that precede or accompany the assault. They appear gradually over 5 to 20 minutes & usually last fewer than 60 minutes. The headache phase of the migraine assault usually begins within 60 minutes of the finish of the aura phase, but it is sometimes delayed up to several hours, & it can be missing entirely (see silent migraine). Signs of migraine aura can be visual, sensory, or motor in nature.[17]
Visual aura is the most common of the neurological events. There is a disturbance of vision consisting usually of unformed flashes of white and/or black or never of multicolored lights (photopsia) or formations of dazzling zigzag lines (scintillating scotoma; often arranged like the battlements of a castle, hence the choice terms "fortification spectra" or "teichopsia"[18]). Some patients complain of blurred or shimmering or cloudy vision, as though they were looking through thick or smoked glass, or, in some cases, tunnel vision & hemianopsia. The somatosensory aura of migraine consists of digitolingual or cheiro-oral paresthesias, a feeling of pins-and-needles experienced in the hand & arm as well as in the nose-mouth area on the same side. Paresthesia migrate up the arm & then extend to involve the face, lips & tongue.
Other signs of the aura phase can include auditory, gustatory or olfactory hallucinations, temporary dysphasia, vertigo, tingling or numbness of the face & extremities, & hypersensitivity to touch.
Oliver Sacks's book Migraine describes "migrainous deliria" because of such intense migraine aura that it is indistinguishable from "free-wheeling states of hallucinosis, illusion, or dreaming."
Friday, 23 July 2010
Monday, 19 July 2010
How to Tell the Difference Between Migraine and Headache Symptoms
How do you tell the difference between migraine and headache symptoms? Can you really know the difference between a standard headache and the acute pains of a migraine? The answer is a simple yes. You can use this guide to tell the difference between your migraines and your headaches.
Some of these symptoms on their own could be a sign that your headache is truly a migraine, but a combination of these symptoms makes it more likely that you are experiencing a migraine.
A shifting of a throbbing pain around your head that feels like a headache could certainly be a migraine. Migraines generally affect one side of the head, but they can affect all sides of the head, so you should certainly keep that in mind when you are trying to decide whether or not you are dealing with a migraine.
Sensitivity to light is also a very strong sign that you are either currently facing a migraine or you are about to face one. Many people who have migraines on a regular basis are known to lock themselves away in rooms where no light can reach them due to their extreme sensitivity to light.
Stomach related symptoms are also incredibly common when it comes to migraines. If you are having stomach issues, such as an upset stomach, or if you are even seeing vomiting occur, you may be facing what is commonly diagnosed as a migraine headache.
Fatigue and loss of appetite are fairly common symptoms of a migraine and headache issues, but if you are facing a loss of appetite and fatigue, you should certainly not discount the possibility that you are experiencing a migraine. Sometimes it can simply be difficult to think about and desire food when you are facing severe headache pains. Due to this fact, you may either be facing a headache or a migraine if you have this kind of symptom. If you have multiple occurrences of the symptoms listed here, there is a better chance that you are currently facing migraine symptoms.
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