The specialist emphasizes that the diagnosis includes sleep problems.
Dra. Franchesca Fiorito, neurologist and sub-specialist in headaches. Photo: Provided to the Journal of Medicine and Public Health by Dr. Fiorito.
The Dra. Franchesca Fioritoneurologist and headache sub-specialist, revealed to the Journal of Medicine and Public Healththat migraine it is a condition that is suffered because the patient is predisposed, therefore, the triggering factors will develop it.
For this reason, he emphasized that the patient should not live with pain, since there are treatments to manage and avoid severe and disabling episodes, because “with five attacks in your life, you can already meet the criteria for migraine, but there are patients who they can have an annual attack and there are patients who can have pain every day,” he said.
He added that it also has a lot to do with hormonal changes, even women are 3 more likely to suffer from it than men. “The hormonal component of estrogen, this can fluctuate in the different reproductive stages of women” and influence the symptoms of this condition.
The specialist indicated that the frequency does not really determine whether you have a migraine or not, “as long as you have already had those five basic attacks, what it does determine is that yes, this frequency increases and it is disabling, the person should seek help”, emphasized.
Flowery stressed that if a patient has cluster headache, it should be managed as soon as possible, “because although it is short, it is so severe that it must be treated soon”. Another important aspect, according to the doctor, is rest, “when I see a patient I always ask how the rest is going. This is because we must check if he has sleep apnea, if he snores, the hours of sleep “.
migraine process
“30 percent of migraine patients have aura, which is a set of neurological system symptoms that occur within 10 to 15 minutes of having a migraine,” Fiorito said.
On the other hand, the doctor explained that migraine without aura is the most common and the most frequent. The symptoms include headache moderate to severe throbbing that often occurs without warning. The pain is usually felt in only one part of the head, and is accompanied by nausea, confusion, blurred vision, and excessive sensitivity to light, noise, and smells.
The attacks last from 4 to 72 hours and usually recur a couple of times a week. Body movement makes symptoms worse.
The Dr. Fiorito He explained in detail the phases of migraine, which includes 4 moments:
Pródromo
One of the days before a migraineyou might notice subtle changes that warn of a migraine next, among others:
*Constipation
*mood swingsfrom depression to euphoria
*food cravings
*Neck stiffness
*Increased number of urinations
*Fluid retention
* Frequent yawning
Aura
For some people, an aura can occur before or during migraines. The aura is a reversible symptom of the nervous system. Generally, they are visual, but they can also include other alterations.
Each symptom usually starts slowly, builds up over a few minutes, and can last up to 60 minutes.
Examples of migraine auras:
*Visual phenomena, such as the display of various shapes, bright spots, or flashes of light
*Sight loss
*Tingling sensations in an arm or leg
*Numbness or weakness in the face or on one side of the body
*difficulty speaking
But this doesn’t happen in all patients, Dr. Fiorito noted.
Attack
a migraine it usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours if left untreated. How often migraines occur varies from person to person. Migraines can be infrequent or appear several times a month.
During a migraineyou could present these symptoms:
*Pain usually on one side of the head, but often on both sides
*Pain that throbs or throbs
*Sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smells and touch
* Nausea and vomiting
Postdromo
After a migraine attack, the patient may feel exhausted, confused, and powerless for up to a day, with some people even reporting feeling euphoric. Sudden movement of the head may briefly cause pain again.
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