What are they?
 A Migraine is actually a disease. The pounding we might experience, the headache, is only a symptom. Migraine pain is caused by an expansion of the blood vessels in the brain. On the other hand, headache pain is caused by narrowing of the blood vessels.
During a migraine, the tissue surrounding the brain
becomes inflamed, making the pain worse. Therefore, medicine often prescribed to
treat a headache, such as beta-blockers, open the blood vessels and therefore
can make a Migraine worse.
Migraines have been shown to be a genetically-based
illness. Individuals with a single parent having Migraine have approximately a
50% chance of having Migraine.
Who Suffers from Migraines?
Migraines affect 25 to 30 million people in the
United States alone.
- As many as 6% of all men and up to 18% of all women (about 12% of the population as a whole) experience a migraine headache at some time.
- 75% of migraine sufferers are women.
- Among the most distinguishing features is the potential disability accompanying the headache pain of a migraine.
- Migraines are felt on one side of the head by about 60% of migraine sufferers, and the pain is typically throbbing in nature.
- The World Health Organization in 2004 in a Blue Book report noting that Migraine & Headache disorders are a global public health calamity.
- WHO ranks Migraine as one of the top twenty causes of years of healthy life lost to disability.
Migraine Symptoms
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Severe head pain on one side
- Auras (light spots)
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Numbness
- Difficulty in speech
One Migraine attack alone can last for eight hours,
several days, or even weeks.
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