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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – MOUNT ROYAL, NJ (April 8, 2015) – What is migraine? How does it differ from a “normal” headache? And where should you go if you suspect migraine or experience intense headaches? These are just a few of the questions that are addressed in a new feature on the American Migraine Foundation’s website, www.
“Migraine is not just a headache, but a neurological disorder that has a wide variety of symptoms and specific treatments,” says American Migraine Foundation Chair David W. Dodick, MD, FRCP (C), who is Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Scottsdale, AZ). “As it is, many of the 36 to 40 million Americans with migraine never get a formal diagnosis or proper treatment by a migraine specialist. We want to change that, and hope to educate the public about what symptoms to look for and how to distinguish migraine from other types of headache.”
Dr. Dodick says that, if you have two or more of the following symptoms, you might have migraine and you should see a physician, preferably a migraine specialist, for diagnosis and treatment:
- Head pain that is moderate or severe, hard to endure, and possibly even unbearable;
- Head pain that is throbbing, often on one side of the head;
- Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound, and odors;
- Head pain that gets worse with any physical activity or movement;
- Head pain that is severe enough to make you miss work or other activities, or that keeps you from being at your best;
- Head pain that makes it difficult to concentrate and process information;
- Head pain that is associated with dizziness or vertigo;
- Headaches that are triggered by certain factors such as stress, menstruation, altitude, changes in weather, and alcohol;
- Having someone in the family who also experiences recurrent headaches that are moderate or severe;
- Head pain that is associated with temporary disturbance of vision, sensation (tingling, numbness), or language (difficulty finding words, making sentences, understanding what others are saying);
- Headaches that may last from four hours to several days.
“These are some of the characteristics of migraine that differentiate it from other types of headache, and if you have any one of these symptoms, you should strongly consider speaking with your health care provider about the possibility of migraine,” says Dr. Dodick.
There are Different Types of Migraine
Based on frequency of migraine attacks, patients may suffer from either chronic migraine or episodic migraine. People with chronic migraine experience headache on more than 15 days a month. People with episodic migraine have fewer days of headache each month. Chronic migraine may require different types of treatments than episodic migraine.
Migraine occurs three times more often in women than men. Migraine attacks can be triggered by many factors including stress, certain foods or skipping meals, sleeping too much or too little, changes in weather or barometric pressure, and hormonal changes in women. There is evidence that migraine is hereditary or genetic since it often runs in families.
“If you experience the symptoms described above, and especially if the symptoms are disabling or occurring on more than 15 days each month, I recommend that you see a migraine specialist,” says Dr. Dodick. “Physicians who are specially trained in treating migraine and other headache disorders can provide an accurate diagnosis, and a comprehensive treatment plan that can make living with migraine more manageable.”
For information on finding a physician to diagnose and treat migraine, go to: http://www.achenet.org/
Working with Mayo Clinic neurologist/headache specialist Amaal J. Starling, MD, the American Migraine Foundation has added a range of resources and information on migraine treatment and diagnosis to its website (www.
ABOUT MIGRAINE: More than 36 million Americans live with migraine, more than have asthma and diabetes combined. An estimated three to seven million Americans live with chronic migraine, a highly disabling neurological disorder. Migraine can be extremely disabling and costly, accounting for more than $20 billion in direct (e.g. doctor visits, medications) and indirect (e.g. missed work, lost productivity) expenses each year in the United States.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN MIGRAINE FOUNDATION: The American Migraine Foundation is a non-profit foundation supported by the American Headache Society and generous donors dedicated to the advancement of migraine research. Its mission is to support innovative research that will lead to improvement in the lives of those who suffer from migraine and other disabling headaches.www.
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