Key points:
- A migraine attack can occur in people of all age ranges, from children to adults.
- Preventive treatments are focused on reducing the frequency and intensity of crises.
- Light and sound, as well as the weather, are factors that can increase the intensity of a migraine attack.
Migraine is the second most frequent type of headache in people. It is a headache that involves half of the face, it is pulsating, of fairly high intensity, movement makes it worse, and it can even be accompanied by vomiting and nausea, noise or light can also increase its intensity.
“Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) state that, globally, migraine is one of the 20 most disabling diseases and the second cause of headache, after tension headache. In Mexico, of the total number of people who suffer from it, 70 percent are women and 30 percent are men.“1
Many assumptions around this neurological disease cause misinformation for the patient, due to this, Dr. Miguel Ángel Collado Ortiz, neurologist and migraine specialist at ABC Medical Center, will seek to clarify different characteristics related to this condition.
Migraine has no direct cure, it is a pathology that can be controlled in a fairly optimal way, through preventive treatments focused on reducing its frequency and intensity, achieving a better response to painkillers, and thus improving the patient’s quality of life.
The causes of migraine are very varied, this includes leading a stressful life and living with other conditions such as vascular or autoimmune problems. Also, in case of having direct relatives such as parents, grandparents, or siblings with migraine, it is possible to have a greater propensity to suffer these events, regardless of the person’s age.
On the other hand, it is common for children and adolescents to experience migraine episodes as a result of the hormonal changes they are experiencing. While in people over 50 years old who begin to have migraine attacks, it is advisable to perform other tests to rule out or diagnose other causes of headaches.
There are different options to treat a migraine, one of them is pharmacological, but in some cases, changes in the patient’s lifestyle that includes changes in diet, sleep habits, practicing yoga, acupuncture, or physical therapy, can control them or help in its treatment.
Managing stress is also a great tool against migraine since it is the main trigger or crisis generator in patients who live with constant headaches. In the case of women, crises can occur due to hormonal changes and fluctuations in the level of estrogen, progesterone, and serotonin receptors that can cause changes in brain vasodilation.
Dr. Collado says that, although there is nothing they can do when a person is predisposed to this type of headache, they can be aware of some perceptible situations such as mood swings, changes in appetite, visual perceptions such as flashes known as aura, alterations in language, among others, which could alert us to an upcoming crisis.
Migraine is an extremely frequent pathology and is the third worldwide cause of disability in people under 50 years old.
In the Neurological Center of ABC Medical Center we can give you specialized care. Contact us!
Fuente:
Dr. Miguel Ángel Collado Ortiz – neurologist and migraine specialist at ABC Medical Center
Youtube – Centro Médico ABC
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