An Apple a Day
Dr Fayyaz Ahmed talks triggers and treatments for migraines
An Apple a Day
WHAT IS A MIGRAINE?
A migraine is a recurrent throbbing or pulsating head pain that lasts 4-72 hours, with no symptoms between the attacks. The headache is associated with nausea, vomiting and/or sensitivity to light, sound or smell. Around one third of patients experience aura: a progressive neurological symptom lasting 5-60 minutes. Visual aura is the most common symptom; where the patient’s vision is disrupted by blind spots, coloured spots, tunnel vision or flashing lights. Migraines are the second most prevalent form of headaches (15 per cent), with tension-type headaches being the most common (60-80 per cent). Tension headaches are usually mild and cause pressure to be felt across the whole head, while migraines are often targeted to one zone.
Interestingly, migraines are more common in females (22 per cent) than males (8 per cent), although the chances of suffering from them before puberty is relatively equal in both sexes. Around 1.3–2.4 per cent of migraine suferers have chronic migraines (suffering for more than 15 days per month, for more than 3 months; with around half of these being disabling migraines).