What Are Migraine Headaches?
A
migraine headache is a severe pain felt on one, and sometimes both, sides of the head. The pain is mostly in the front, around the temples, or behind one eye or ear. Besides pain, a person with migraines may have nausea and vomiting, and may also be highly sensitive to light and sound.
Migraine
headaches can occur any time of the day. However, they often start in the morning. The pain can last a few hours or up to one or two days. Some people can get as many as ten migraines a month, but the average is around 1.5 per month.
What Causes Them?
Migraine research scientists don't know what causes these headaches. However, there are a number of things that people with migraines tend to have in common. For example:
- Most often, migraine headaches affect people between the ages of 15 and 55, though they can affect people as young as 5 years old
- Many people have a family history of migraines
- They are more common in women
- Migraine headaches often become less severe and frequent with age.
(Click Migraine Causes to learn more about the theories behind what causes migraines.)
Symptoms of Migraine Headaches
The pain of migraine headaches is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. It is often accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting, or lack of appetite.
There are several different types of migraine headaches, each with somewhat different symptoms. Some individuals can predict the onset of a migraine headache because it is preceded by an "aura." An aura consists of visual disturbances that appear as flashing lights, zig-zag lines, or a temporary loss of vision.
What Triggers Migraine Headaches?
People with
migraine headaches tend to have recurring attacks triggered by a lack of food or sleep, exposure to light, or hormonal irregularities (in women).
Anxiety, stress, or relaxation after stress can also be common triggers.
You can read more information about triggers for migraine
headaches in the following eMedTV articles:
There are two ways to approach treatment for migraine headaches: preventing the attacks or relieving the symptoms during the attacks
(see Migraine Relief).
For relief during an acute attack, there are a number of different traditional treatment options. These treatments include making lifestyle changes and taking medications. Unfortunately, while these steps can control migraine headaches, there is no cure.
Some people may also use complementary or alternative approaches to treating migraines, such as:
- Vitamins, minerals, or herbs, such as:
For those who have migraine headaches on a more frequent basis -- as well as for those who have severe headaches -- a healthcare provider may recommend medicines used to prevent migraines in the first place. While many of these medications were originally developed to treat
epilepsy and
depression, they are also effective for
migraine prevention.
What Is the Prognosis?
Taking a combination of drugs to prevent and treat
migraine headaches when they happen helps most people limit the disabling effects of these
headaches.
Women whose migraine attacks occur in association with their menstrual cycle are likely to have fewer attacks and milder symptoms after
menopause.
Statistics on Migraine Headaches
According to the National Headache Foundation, an estimated 28 million Americans have migraine headaches. The World Health Organization considers these headaches to be one of the most debilitating diseases in the world. In addition, an estimated 14 million Americans have undiagnosed migraine headaches.
Migraines are the second most prevalent headache syndrome in the United States. Statistics show that 157 million workdays each year are lost due to the severity of migraine headaches.
Migraines are more prevalent in women. They affect three times more women than men
(see Women and Migraines). Estrogen levels are a key trigger for increased migraine headaches in women. However, it is not known how changes in estrogen levels trigger them. Women often report that their migraine headaches occur during or right before the onset of their menstrual cycle. In addition, some women experience migraines during pregnancy or menopause. Contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies have also been shown to cause more severe migraines. Pregnancy may or may not increase the frequency or severity of migraines
(see Pregnancy and Migraines).
Nearly half of the people in the United States who have migraine headaches do not get diagnosed and treated. The National Headache Foundation suggests you talk with your healthcare provider about your headaches if:
- You have several headaches per month and each lasts for several hours or days
- Your migraine headaches disrupt your home, work, or school life
- You have nausea, vomiting, vision problems, or other sensory problems.
