Causes Of Migraine

Below are some underlying Causes responsible for Migraine

1. Genetic causes - Successors may get affected due to genetic disorders .
2. Medications like birth control pills, vasodilators etc.
3. Fatigue or exaggerated stress may lead to Migraine
4. Excess intake of Alcohol

Migraine affects and rise stage by stage in one's body.

Migraine headache is caused by physical or mental stress, sun, unhealthy eating habit, chocolate, milk products etc. Migraine headache is usually known as psychosomatic syndrome. Studies have proved that chemical imbalance in the blood carrying nerves on the surface of the one's brain. Migraine headache generally occurs in half of one's head. It begins with a warning of some form. Which may lead to certain issues related to vision like blurred visibility. The intensity of the pain gradually and intensively increases. This makes one uncomfortable to be in a in a room having more intense light. It ends up with feeling exhausted after vomiting and nausea. A long sleep of 12-14 hours is advisable for such patients.


Also typical perfumes and certain odors and subject to change of weather too, in most of the cases humidity and change in air pressure may increase the possibility of its occurrence in the victim's body.

More migraines, less breast cancer?

Studies published in 2008 and 2009 found that women who have been treated for migraines have a 26% to 33% lower risk of breast cancer than other women.

To combat the pain, many migraine sufferers take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which also may reduce breast cancer risk. So researchers conducted a new study, published online in January in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, to determine whether migraines alone have an effect on breast cancer risk. They found that migraine sufferers were 11% less likely to develop breast cancer overall and 17% less likely to develop a hormone-sensitive breast cancer, whether or not they take NSAIDs.

The connection makes sense, researchers say, because the hormone estrogen plays a role in most breast cancers, as well as in many migraines. For example, 60% of women with migraines report having more headaches around the time of menstruation, when estrogen levels change. Many pregnant women also report fewer migraines once their estrogen levels stabilize mid-pregnancy, as do post-menopausal women.

Migraine ‘doubles heart attack risk’

Migraine sufferers are more likely to have heart attacks, a new study claims.

The study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been published in the February 10 online issue of Neurology.

The study also found that migraine sufferers face increased risk for stroke and were more likely to have key risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"Migraine has been viewed as a painful condition that affects quality of life, but not as a threat to people''s overall health," said lead investigator Richard B. Lipton, M.D., senior author of the study and professor and vice chair in The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology at Einstein. He also directs the Headache Center at Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein.

Dr. Lipton added, "Our study suggests that migraine is not an isolated disorder and that, when caring for people with migraine, we should also be attentive to detecting and treating their cardiovascular risk factors."

There are two major forms, migraine without aura and migraine with aura. Both forms involve pulsing or throbbing pain, pain on one side of the head, nausea or g, or sensitivity to light or sound. Migraine with aura has additional neurological symptoms including flashing lights, zig-zag lines, or a graying out of vision. Migraine is most common between the ages of 25 and 55; women are affected three times more frequently than men.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data on 6,102 people with migraine and 5,243 people without migraine.

What should migraine sufferers do

Individuals with mild and infrequent migraine headaches that do not cause disability may require only OTC analgesics. Individuals who experience several moderate or severe migraine headaches per month or whose headaches do not respond readily to medications should avoid triggers and consider modifications of their lifestyle. Lifestyle modifications for migraine sufferers include:

    * Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.

    * Exercise regularly (daily if possible). Make a commitment to exercise even when traveling or during busy periods at work. Exercise can improve the quality of sleep and reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches. Build up your exercise level gradually. Over-exertion, especially for someone who is out of shape, can lead to migraine headaches.

    * Do not skip meals, and avoid prolonged fasting.

    * Limit stress through regular exercise and relaxation techniques.

    * Limit caffeine consumption to less than two caffeine-containing beverages a day.

    * Avoid bright or flashing lights and wear sunglasses if sunlight is a trigger.

    * Identify and avoid foods that trigger headaches by keeping a headache and food diary. Review the diary with your doctor. It is impractical to adopt a diet that avoids all known migraine triggers; however, it is reasonable to avoid foods that consistently trigger migraine headaches.

Treatment For Moderate To Severe Migraine Headaches

Migraine-specific abortive medications usually are necessary for moderate to severe migraine headaches. The abortive medications for moderate or severe migraine headaches are different than OTC analgesics. Instead of relieving pain, they abort headaches by counteracting the cause of the headache, dilation of the temporal arteries. In fact, they cause narrowing of the arteries. Examples of migraine-specific abortive medications are the triptans and ergot preparations.
Triptans

The triptans attach to serotonin receptors on the blood vessels and nerves that surround them, constrict the blood vessels, and reduce the inflammation. This stops the headache. The triptan with the longest history of use is sumatriptan (Imitrex). Sumatriptan is available in the US as an injection, oral tablet, and nasal inhaler. Zolmitriptan (Zomig) and rizatriptan (Maxalt) are newer triptans that are available as oral tablets and as tablets that melt in the mouth. Naratriptan (Amerge), almotriptan (Axert) and frovatriptan (Frovalan) are available only as oral tablets.

Traditionally, triptans were prescribed for moderate or severe migraines after OTC analgesics and other simple measures failed. Newer studies suggest that triptans can be used as the first treatment for patients with migraines that are causing disability. (Significant disability is defined as more than 10 days of at least 50% disability during a three-month period.). Triptans should be used early after the migraine begins, before the onset of pain or when the pain is mild. Using a triptan early in an attack increases its effectiveness, reduces side effects, and decreases the chance of recurrence of another headache during the following 24 hours. Used early, triptans can be expected to abort more than 80% of migraine headaches within two hours.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about taking triptans together with medications of the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) or SNRI (selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) classes. Taking these medicines together can cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.

Side effects of triptans

The most common side effects of triptans are facial flushing, tingling of the skin, and a sense of tightness around the chest and throat. Other less common side effects include drowsiness, fatigue, and dizziness. These side effects are short-lived and are not considered serious.

The most serious side effects of triptans are heart attacks and strokes. Triptans are effective in migraine headaches because they narrow arteries in the head; however, they also can narrow arteries in the heart. In individuals without existing carotid or coronary artery disease, the narrowing caused by triptans usually does not cause problems. However, persons whose carotid and coronary arteries are narrowed by atherosclerosis or who suffer from intermittent spasm of the coronary arteries (a condition called Prinzmetal's or variant angina), the narrowing caused by triptans can further reduce the flow of blood through the arteries and have been reported to cause heart attacks and strokes. Therefore, triptans should not be used by those who have had heart attacks and strokes, or those who have symptoms of atherosclerosis such as angina, transient ischemic attack (TIAs), and intermittent claudication.

Healthy adults may have atherosclerosis and narrowing of the coronary arteries that are "silent", that is, without past strokes, transient ischemic attacks, heart attacks, or angina. Therefore, before prescribing a triptan, a doctor should evaluate patients for possible atherosclerosis if they have one or more risk factors for developing atherosclerosis. These risk factors include cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol in the blood, obesity, male and over 40 years of age, female and postmenopausal, or a family member(s) who has had heart attacks at an early age. Some patients who are at risk should receive their first dose of a triptan in the doctor's office while being monitored with an electrocardiogram (EKG).

Triptans can interact with other drugs. For example, there have been rare reports of triptans causing a "serotonin syndrome" when given together with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of medications widely used to treat depression. The symptoms of serotonin syndrome include confusion, fever, tremor, high blood pressure, diarrhea, and sweating. Certain triptans such as sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, and rizatriptan can interact with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Propranolol (Inderal) can raise rizatriptan blood levels. Cimetidine (Tagamet) can increase zolmitriptan blood levels.

Triptans should not be used in pregnant women and are not generally used in young children.


Ergots


Ergots, like triptans, are medications that abort migraine headaches. These may be combined with caffeine and/or other pain relief medications in combination products. Examples of ergots include ergotamine preparations (Ergomar, Wigraine, and Cafergot) and dihydroergotamine preparations (Migranal, DHE-45). Ergots, like triptans, cause constriction of blood vessels, but ergots tend to cause more constriction of vessels in the heart and other parts of the body than the triptans, and their effects on the heart are more prolonged than those of the triptans. Therefore, they are not as safe as the triptans. The ergots also are more prone to cause nausea and vomiting than the triptans. The ergots can cause prolonged contraction of the uterus and miscarriages in pregnant women.


Midrin


Midrin is used to abort migraine and tension headaches. It is a combination of isometheptene (a blood vessel constrictor), acetaminophen (a pain reliever), and dichloralphenazone (a mild sedative). It is most effective if used early during a headache; however, because of its potent blood vessel constricting effect, it should not be used in persons with high blood pressure, kidney disease, glaucoma, atherosclerosis, liver disease, or taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

How Migraine Trigger

Painful among all headaches is Migraine. One afflicted from Migraine often point out pain as throbbing or pulsing in one area of head either left or right. Migraine Sufferers became sensitive to sound and light as these direct strikes them. They may also become nauseated and vomit.

While talking about the ratio of migraine in men and women then from research it came to known that migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Some persons can predict their migraine because somewhat they temporarily lose their vision or they see flashing lights or zigzag lines.

Many things can trigger a migraine. These include

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Lack of food or sleep
• Exposure to light
• Hormonal changes (in women)

Doctors used to believe migraines were linked to the opening and narrowing of blood vessels in the head.

Now they believe the cause is related to genes that control the activity of some brain cells. Medicines can help prevent migraine attacks or help relieve symptoms of attacks when they happen. For many people, treatments to relieve stress can also help.