What is Migraine?
 The pain of a migraine headache 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.
Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Some individuals can
predict the onset of a migraine because it is preceded by an "aura," visual
disturbances that appear as flashing lights, zig-zag lines or a temporary loss
of vision. People with migraine tend to have recurring attacks triggered by a
number of different factors, including bright or flashing lights, lack of food
or sleep, or exposure to light. Migraine in women often relates to changes in
hormones and hormonal levels. Anxiety, stress, or relaxation after stress can
also be triggers. For many years, scientists believed that migraines were linked
to the dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. Investigators now
believe that migraine is caused by inherited abnormalities in genes that control
the activities of certain cell populations in the brain.
Is there any treatment?
There are two ways to approach the treatment of
migraine headache with drugs: prevent the attacks, or relieve the symptoms
during the attacks. Everyone with migraine needs effective treatment at the time
of the headaches. Many people with migraine use both approaches by taking
medications originally developed for epilepsy, depression, or high blood
pressure to prevent future attacks, and treating attacks when they happen with
drugs called triptans that relieve pain and restore function. Hormone therapy
may help some women whose migraines seem to be linked to their menstrual cycle.
Stress management strategies, such as exercise, relaxation, biofeedback, and
other therapies designed to help limit discomfort, may also reduce the
occurrence and severity of migraine attacks. Lifestyle changes that can reduce
or prevent migraine in some individuals includes avoiding food and beverages
that trigger headaches, eating regularly scheduled meals with adequate
hydration, stopping certain medications, and establishing a consistent sleep
schedule. A weight loss program is recommended for obese individuals with
migraine.
What is the prognosis?
Taking a combination of drugs to prevent and treat
migraine attacks when they happen helps most people with migraine to 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.
What research is being done?
Researchers believe that migraine is the result of
fundamental neurological abnormalities caused by genetic mutations at work in
the brain. Investigations of the more rare, familial subtypes of migraine are
yielding information about specific genes and what they do, or don't do, to
cause the pain of migraine headache. Understanding the cascade of biological
events that happen in the brain to cause a migraine, and the mechanisms that
underlie these events, will give researchers opportunities to develop and test
drugs that could prevent or interrupt a migraine attack.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/migraine/migraine.htm#What_is
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