Migraine headache is an abnormal brain activity characterized by recurrent episodes of unilateral headache, often associated with visual or sensory symptoms—collectively known as an aura—that arise most often before the head pain. A migraine attack is definitely no laughing matter. These headaches are so debilitating that many sick days are taken as the sufferer is often bed ridden and can become very ill whilst in the grip of a migraine. It can cause unwanted, physical, mental, and emotional, health issues.

Data: Migraines affect more than 10% of people in the world. They occur in people of all ages, but often begin during the early teenage years during puberty.  Approximately 75% of all persons who experience migraines are women. Migraine accounts for 64% of severe headaches in females and 43% of severe headaches in males. As per WHO approximately 3000 migraine attacks per million persons worldwide occur every day and Migraine is 19th among all causes of years lived with disability.

Cause: Migraine headache is mostly throbbing or pulsate in nature and mostly unilateral and localized in the front temporal and ocular area, but pain can be felt anywhere around the head or neck. The pain typically builds up over a period of 1–2 hours, progressing from front to back of head gradually becoming diffuse. The migraine headache typically lasts from 4–72 hours. Among females, more than two thirds of patients report attacks lasting longer than 24 hours. Other associated features are nausea, vomiting with headache, Sensitivity to light , sensitivity to sound, sensitivity to normal touch during migraine just like (brushing hair or wearing contact lens etc).In migraine with aura  people see spots or colors, wavy lights, have unusual vision changes, or numbness or tingling in the fingers of one hand, lips, tongue, or lower face before or during a migraine headache.

Symptoms and Sign                                                                       

Abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting with headache

1. Sensitivity to light
2. Sensitivity to sound
3. Sensitivity to normal touch during migraine just like (brushing hair or wearing contact lens etc.,
4. Some people see spots or colors, wavy lights, have unusual vision changes, or numbness or tingling in the fingers of one hand, lips, tongue, or lower face before or during a migraine headache.

 Treatment:  If you ever have a severe headache, changes in vision (double vision, blurry vision), a stiff neck, confusion, severe vomiting, fever/chills, headaches that wake you from sleep, or other new or concerning symptoms that occur along with a headache, call your health care provider right away or go to the best neurologist to have long term relief from Migraine Headache.

If you are on the journey of finding long term relief from Migraine Headache, you are now closer than ever. Remember don’t allow migraine to become headache of your life!

Migraine clinic at ASIAN NEURO CENTRE     Dr Navin Tiwari (Consulting Neurologist)