Probably, in the modern world you will not meet people who have never in their life heard of such a thing as migraine. It is possible that you yourself managed to avoid this torment, but without any doubt among your relatives, acquaintances, employees or just friends there are those who complained about the suffering caused by migraine. So what is migraine? What is her nature? For what reason does it occur? You can get an answer to all these questions by reading the materials in this article.
To begin with, a severe headache, migraine, has been known for a long time. The first memories of her are found in the records of the ancient Sumerian civilization that existed on our planet about 5000 years ago. Later we find this disease already in treatises of Paracelsus and Hippocrates.
The very word "migraine" once came from the ancient Greek "hemicrania", which meant "half the head."
So, what is migraine defined by doctors? These are severe headaches, which are really most often localized in only one half of the head. The disease is also accompanied by an extremely acute sensitivity to sounds and smells, vomiting and nausea. At the same time, patients often begin to suspect other very serious diseases, considering migraines as a result of, say, a brain tumor, stroke, or serious head injury. But doctors do not make such diagnoses. In the same way, migraine is not associated with increased intracranial pressure, nor with glaucoma attacks, and with general fluctuations in blood pressure.
Then the question arises: "So what is migraine?" - This is not an injury, not a tumor, not the result of high blood pressure. What is this?
This disease is classified as a vascular type of headache. Migraine is based on the so-called expansion of the walls of the blood vessels that feed the brain, which in turn begin to put pressure on the nerve cells around.
About 11% of the world's population regularly suffer from migraines, and these are mostly women.
Specialists distinguish two types of disease: general and classic.
The classic course of the disease is observed in approximately 10% of all patients. A strong headache is preceded by the so-called aura, which includes a set of precursors of migraine. In each patient, the aura can manifest itself in completely different ways. For example, some may experience visual impairment, say, a kind of "veil" or "fly", or even just bright bursts. Others complain of a violation of smell, or hearing, or speech, and sometimes even coordination of movement. This is due to the fact that during a migraine a certain part of the brain suffers and it is in it that there is an imbalance in blood circulation.
What is migraine in its general course? - In this case, the aura is not observed, and the patient immediately begins to suffer from a headache attack.
Such a headache can last from several hours to 3 days. The pain that occurs in one half of the head increases gradually. In the future, as a rule, it is clearly localized in the area of the ear, eye, forehead or temple, and sometimes also in the shoulder or neck. Very often, the pain is so severe that the patient begins to feel it immediately throughout the body. This condition is accompanied by dizziness, vomiting, rapid urination, diarrhea or chills, aggravated by very bright light or loud sounds. After its completion, patients often complain of complete exhaustion of both mental and physical forces.
Causes of migraine:
• hypersensitivity to a certain type of food;
• change of weather;
• insomnia;
• physical overstrain;
• too bright or blinking light;
• annoying odors;
• psychological trauma;
• hormonal changes in the female body associated with the menstrual cycle.
In frequent cases of migraine, you should immediately consult a doctor!