Migraine
hideMigraine is a neurological syndrome characterized by altered bodily perceptions, headaches, and nausea. Physiologically, the migraine headache is a neurological condition more common to women than to men. The word migraine was borrowed from Old French migraigne (originally as "megrim", but respelled in 1777 on a contemporary French model). The French term derived from a vulgar pronunciation of the Late Latin word hemicrania, itself based on Greek hemikrania, from Greek roots for "half" and "skull". The typical migraine headache is unilateral and pulsating, lasting from 4 to 72 hours; symptoms include nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to bright light), and hyperacusis (increased sensitivity to sound); approximately one third of people who suffer migraine headache perceive an aura — unusual visual, olfactory, or other sensory experiences that are a sign that the migraine will soon occur.
Initial treatment is with analgesics for the head-ache, an anti-emetic for the nausea, and the avoidance of triggering conditions. The cause of migraine headache is idiopathic; the accepted theory is a disorder of the serotonergic control system, as PET scan has demonstrated the aura coincides with diffusion of cortical depression consequent to increased blood flow (up to 300% greater than baseline). There are migraine headache variants, some originate in the brainstem (featuring intercellular transport dysfunction of calcium and potassium ions) and some are genetically disposed. Studies of twins indicate a 60 to 65 percent genetic influence upon their propensity to develop migraine headache. Moreover, fluctuating hormone levels indicate a migraine relation: 75 percent of adult patients are women, although migraine affects approximately equal numbers of prepubescent boys and girls; propensity to migraine headache is known to disappear during pregnancy, although in some women migraines may become more frequent during pregnancy.[citation needed]
For more information about Migraine, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with migraine
Portable device effective in zapping away migraine pain
Jun 26, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (13) |
0
novel electronic device designed to "zap" away migraine pain before it starts has proven to be the next form of relief for those suffering from the debilitating disease, according to a study conducted at The Ohio State University ...
Migraine mutations reveal clues to biological basis of disorder
Jun 30, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (10) |
4
Fifteen percent to 20 percent of people worldwide suffer from migraines – excruciating headaches often presaged by dramatic sensations, or "auras." By studying a rare, inherited form of migraine, researchers at Vanderbilt ...
Oxygen therapy might ease pain of migraine, cluster headaches
Jul 16, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
0
Two types of oxygen therapy could offer some relief to adults who suffer from disabling migraine and cluster headaches, according to a new research review from Australia.
Researchers look at effects of weather, air pollution on headaches
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Mar 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Although large numbers of headache sufferers, particularly individuals who struggle with migraines, attribute their pain to the weather, there has been little scientific evidence to back up their assertions. Now, a study ...
Common migraine pain condition also prevalent in cluster headache
May 27, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
A pain condition common in people with migraines also has a high prevalence in patients with cluster headache, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Jefferson Headache Center at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience.
Army personnel show increased risk for migraine
Aug 27, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
1
Two new studies show that migraine headaches are very common among U.S. military personnel, yet the condition is frequently underdiagnosed. The studies, appearing in Headache, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Headac ...
Migraine linked to blood clots in veins
Sep 15, 2008 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
People with migraines may also be more likely to develop blood clots in their veins, according to a study published in the September 16, 2008, issue of Neurology the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Migraine mice exhibit enhanced excitatory transmission at cortical synapses
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Mar 11, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
New research is unraveling the complex brain mechanisms associated with disabling migraine headaches. The study, published by Cell Press in the March 12th issue of the journal Neuron, reveals that perturbation of the delica ...
The evolution of migraine from episodic headache to chronic disorder
May 26, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Patients living with migraine have strong reason for new optimism concerning a positive future. Two review articles and an accompanying editorial, "The Future of Migraine: Beyond Just Another Pill," in the current issue of ...
Smoking more than 5 cigarettes a day provokes migraine attacks
Jun 24, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
Tobacco acts as a precipitating factor for headaches, specifically migraines. This is indicated in a study which shows that smokers have more migraine attacks and that smoking more than five cigarettes a day ...
Increased stroke risk from birth control pills
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 26, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
She was only 30 years old, but she was experiencing the classic symptoms of a stroke. Her speech suddenly became slurred, and her left hand became clumsy while eating.
Migraine raises risk of most common form of stroke
Nov 16, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Pooling results from 21 studies, involving 622,381 men and women, researchers at Johns Hopkins have affirmed that migraine headaches are associated with more than twofold higher chances of the most common kind of stroke: ...
Combination drug taken early relieves migraine symptoms
Medicine & Health / Medications
Jul 07, 2008 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
A combination drug taken within an hour after the start of a migraine is effective in relieving symptoms, according to research published in the July 8, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academ ...
Gene may put women with migraine at increased risk of heart disease and stroke
Jul 30, 2008 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Women who experience migraine with aura appear to be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke if they have a certain gene, according to a study published in the July 30, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medica ...
Study reviews health risks, economic burden of migraine
Feb 02, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
A new study published in Value in Health reviews the economic burden of migraine in the U.S. and recent clinical findings of the health risks of this neurological condition. This study traces the history of economic articl ...
