Migraine Symptoms And Causes

Main Category: Headache / Migraine
Article Date: 25 May 2007 - 12:00 PDT


It is estimated that some 28 million people have been diagnosed as suffering from migraines in the US alone, while a further 14 million are thought to have undiagnosed migraine headaches. The World Health Organization considers migraines to be one of the most debilitating diseases of mankind. One migraine headache can put your life "on hold" for anything from a few hours to a couple of days.

Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraines. However, after puberty nearly 3 times as many women as men suffer from migraines. Migraines are most common in the twenties and thirties. Some people may have only a few migraines during their lifetime whilst others have them several times per month. The good news is that migraines often diminish after the age of 50.

A migraine is a throbbing or pulsating headache and it is often one-sided. It can begin in a specific area on one side of the head. It can then spread and build up in intensity over the next couple of hours. It may well be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light or sound. Hands and feet may feel cold or sweaty. The migraines will then gradually subside.

The direct cause of migraines is still unknown but it is thought that migraines may result from a series of reactions in the central nervous system caused by changes in the body or in the environment. These changes then act as triggers to produce inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves that surround the brain. There are many triggers - some of which we are able to control while there are others over which we have no control.

Some of these triggers are:

- Lighting such as fluorescent lighting or the glare from computer screens.
- Smells especially fragrances and perfumes worn by others.
- Smoke such as having to be in close proximity to smokers.
- Noise such as when working and concentrating in an area where there is loud and repetitive sound.
Disruption to sleep patterns or lack of sleep.
- Stress or hunger.
- Certain foods such as those containing caffeine including coffee and chocolate, monosodium glutamate (MSG found in Chinese food) and nitrates (found in processed food such as hot dogs).
- Medications both over-the-counter and prescription.

Other triggers over which we have no control are: the weather, the air pressure and menstrual cycles or hormonal changes.

The word migraine is derived from the Greek word hemicrania which literally means "half of the head" and as most migraines occur on one side of the head, this is very appropriate.

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