The Causes And Symptoms Of Migraine - How Migraine Surgery Can Help!

Migraine is a health condition related to the nervous system of the body. The enlargement of blood vessels causes headaches and other health problems. The propensity for migraine occurrence is almost 75% greater in women than in men. Millions of people around the world are affected by this neurological disorder, including 30 million in the US alone.

Migraine headaches are characterized as occurring in one half of the head. It not only causes severe pain but affects other aspects of the patient's life such as his ability to work and concentrate. Despite this fact, migraines largely go untreated. Lack of awareness is a major reason why people fail to get the treatment they need. Some patients don't even seek medical help for their problem.

Causes of Migraine

So, what causes migraine in the first place? There are several types of migraine headaches so there are few universal causes.

Triggers

Triggers are biological events that propel the pain. There has been considerable debate regarding the extent to which triggers are responsible for headaches. Several things have been classified as triggers that cause migraine.

These include:

- Hunger
- Fatigue
- Stress

Some triggers have been attributed to hormones. The hormonal buildup can also influence the extent to which a person suffers from headache. Headaches may be related to menstruation, pregnancy, menopause and ***.

Genetics

Migraine is a disease that can be passed from generation to generation. A person with a family history of migraine has a 30% greater chance of suffering from it as compared to others. Scientific studies and reports have concluded that this disease is transmittable between siblings, especially twins. As mentioned at the beginning, the chance of it occurring is much greater in females than males.

Serotonin

Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter in the brain which helps the brain coordinates its functions. Serotonin not only helps the brain function properly but keeps the blood flow in check. A lack of serotonin can result in the blood vessels being enlarged, causing migraine. Low serotonin level is the cause of various neurological disorders such as depression, anxiety and stress.

These are some of the causes of migraine. Other causes include depression, stress and a combination of neurological problems.

Symptoms of Migraine n The symptoms and signs of migraine vary through the stages of a headache. There are four stages of migraine, namely prodrome, aura, attack and postdrome. The symptoms for each of the four are listed below.

Prodrome

The prodrome is the ‘calm before the storm' period. The symptoms start showing up a couple of days before a migraine attack. They are the precursor to symptoms that are more severe. The symptoms during this stage are

- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Food Cravings
- Depression
- Hyperactivity
- Stiffness in the Neck
- Agitation

Usually, a combination of these factors emerges together. Watch out for any of these because migraine can be prevented at this stage.

Aura

Aura is common but not experienced by all migraine patients. Auras refer to problems that occur with vision, voice, senses and mobility. Auras last for no more than 30 minutes and are preceded by a slow buildup that rises to a limit.

- Loss of Vision
- Problems in Speaking
- Visual Problems
- Numbness

Attack

Attack is the stage where migraine sets in and you start feeling the pain. A headache lasts on average 4 to 72 hours. The frequency and length of an attack varies from person to person. The common symptoms during an attack are:

- Throbbing Pain on one side of the head
- Nausea, and sometimes Vomiting
- Sensitivity to Bright Lights
- Diarrhea
- Lightheadedness, which could lead to Fainting

The symptoms of migraine attacks last for as long as the attack lasts.

Postdrome

You may think that you are going to feel much better once the attack has subsided. However, the case is quite the opposite. Some symptoms may last longer and cause you to feel sick. Generally, patients feel exhausted and have little energy. In some cases, patients have been reported to experience euphoria.

These are the symptoms of migraine. There may be variations depending on the severity of the attack. Once migraine has set in, it becomes difficult to get rid of it. Medications are often used by people to counter the pain they are experiencing.

High Rate of Failure of Medication n There is much debate and discussion regarding the best medication for migraine. There are preventive medicines and drugs which have the ability to reduce the severity of the attack by more than 50%. There are many such drugs available but the effective ones are considered to have a benchmark of being able to cure at least 50% of the migraine attack.

Even with the availability of prescription medicine, there is much criticism. It is not advisable to use preventive medicines because most of them are ineffective in curing your pain. Moreover, the concerning factor is that these drugs often have side effects. In the end, they cause more harm than good. Therefore, it is suggested that patients who frequently suffer from severe migraine headaches should opt for medication. The other patients will do better to avoid using them.

The high rate of failure of medication has prompted many people to seek other avenues for getting rid of their migraine. For this reason, people have been seeking other modes of preventing and curing migraine such as surgery.

Migraine Surgery n Migraine surgery has emerged to be a messiah for patients. People who suffer from severe migraine can have surgery and be rid of it once and for all. The problem with this disorder has been that people seek temporary relief and medication only reduces the severity, rather than eliminating the problem. With migraine surgery becoming a viable option, a permanent cure is available.

Surgery cures up to 30% of all patients who undergo it. This number seems to be low but the emphasis has to be on the fact that migraine surgery cures the person from migraine once and for all. A majority of the patients see a significant improvement in them while 90% of the patients who had surgery have reported that they don't suffer from migraine five years after having surgery.

Botox and migraines seem to be completely unrelated. However, botox has to be performed before migraine can be operated on. Botox helps to identify the pressure points at which the surgery is to be done. A patient has to undergo botox 4-8 weeks before surgery. The doctors observe whether the patient is responding well to botox and only then is the surgery carried out.

Knowing the symptoms and causes of migraine is important for patients so that they can get the right treatment for themselves. The high risk of failure with medication means that it should be used only to lessen the impact of a migraine attack.