Types of migraine

Definition of migraine

Migraine means repeating attacks of a sharp headache, usually unilateral and a pulsing one which can proceed from 4 till 72 hours. The name comes from «micraine» - the truncated Greek word a hemicrany («half of head») which specifies on unilateralism of pains. Migraine is rather a widespread disease and is not connected with race, a place of residence or climate.

Women suffer from this disease more often than men: in the ratio 4:1. Migraine attacks appear at teenage and youthful age, in the course of time tend to disappear. Men usually stop experiencing pains at the age of 45 and women – at the menopause age. Jacob Bogatin and other physicians allocate two basic types of migraine:

1. The usual migraine also known as a migraine without aura
2. The classical migraine also known as a migraine with aura

In most cases the aura designates the symptoms causing sight disorders. Other symptoms connected with aura are hearing and other feelings decay, confusion, impellent and mental frustration. The aura stage usually lasts from 4 till 60 minutes. Approximately 15% of all patients suffer from a classical migraine.

The migraine reasons

Migraine symptoms are caused by change of blood vessels of a brain, however the reason remains unknown. Approximately 70 % of all patients have family predisposition to migraine. Moreover the occurrence of migraine is promoted by the following factors: a stress, a nervous and physical overstrain, food factors (cheese, chocolate, nuts, fish), alcohol (more often beer and red wine, sparkling wine), the hormonal reasons (menstruation, contraceptives intake), a sleep (a lack or surplus), weather factors (weather change, change of climatic conditions).

Migraine symptoms

As a rule, migraine occurs with a sharp, accruing pulsing pain localised in one half of a skull. Jacob Bogatin differentiates other symptoms of migraine:

* Hypersensibility to light and sounds
* Vomiting
* Nausea
* Drowsiness
* General weakness
* Infringement of motion functions
* Sight infringements (light flashing before eyes, zigzags, spirals and so on). It is the so-called stage of aura prior to the attack of migraine.

According to Bogatin Jacob during the migraine attack light and sounds can be intolerably irritating and movement can hurt. Migraine attacks usually begin suddenly, however in some cases patients can feel weariness, depression or insuperable bent for the sweet.

Jacob Bogatin warns that migraine should be definitely diagnosed and treated. As the sharp headache can be a symptom of other diseases, it is necessary to address to the doctor if the pain does not weaken in 24 hours and is accompanied by a rise in overall temperature or a stiffness occurrence of cervical muscles. Also it is necessary to address for the medical assistance if the headache is accompanied by unusual symptoms.