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   Migraine  Introduction
Migraine is a symptom complex of periodic headaches which are usually unilateral (one sided) and often associated with nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to noise and light. The attack of migraine is usually preceded by constriction (narrowing) of the cranial vessels (blood vessels supplying the brain and skull) and the headache commences with dilatation of these blood vessels. The attacks of migraine tend to be recurrent and the severity of attacks usually decreases as the patient ages. There are two main types of migraine: 1) Migraine with Aura (Classic Migraine): This type of headache is characterized by neurological phenomenon (aura) that is experienced 10 to 30 minutes before the headache begins. Auras may be experienced as visual disturbances, hallucinations or even temporary loss of vision before the headache. . Some other common expressions of the aura may be in the form of giddiness, vertigo, tingling numbness in various parts of the body, weakness, difficulty in speech, etc. Auras are experienced due to the constriction of the cranial blood vessels prior to the commencement of the migraine. 2) Migraine without Aura (Common Migraine): This is a common presentation and here the patient does not experience any aura (neurological phenomena) before the headache. Nausea and vomiting frequently accompany this kind of migraine. General fatigue and lethargy may be experienced before the headache begins. There are some other types of Migraine which are not so common: 1) Basilar 2) Ophthalmic 3) Ophthalmoplegic 4) Retinal 5) Status migraine Migraine headaches usually begin gradually over a particular area on one side of the head. The pain then builds up in intensity over a couple of hours and spreads over a larger area of the head. The pain tends to subside gradually over a few hours in most of the cases but may even last up to a few days in some cases. |
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