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ABSTRACT –

Migraine is a severe, frequent and throbbing condition which results in painful headache on one side of the head. It follows an aura of sensory or visual disturbances which occurs before or with the headache. It can lead to extreme pain which lasts for hours or days interrupting daily activities.

• Migraine with aura (Classic Migraine) includes Hemiplegic, Ophthalmic and Status migrainosus.
• Migraine without aura (Common Migraine) includes anxiety, depression, and stress.

CAUSES –

• Hereditary factors
• Environmental factors
• Feeling of being stressed out and tiredness
• Hormonal imbalances in women like variation in estrogens, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause etc
• Consumption of alcohol
• Change in sleeping habits
• Sensory stimuli like bright light, strong smell can also trigger migraines
• Food additives added to food for preservation
• Listening to loud noise or music

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS –

• Constipation
• Mood swings from sadness to euphoria
• Inflexibility in neck
• Frequent thirst and urination
• Continuous yawning
• Visual problems and vision loss
• Numbness in the face, arms and legs
• Speech difficulty
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Loss of appetite

DIAGNOSIS –

• Physical and neurological examination
• X-ray
• MRI
• CT Scans

TREATMENT –

• Medications for pain relief, lowering BP and antidepressants
• Make changes in lifestyle patterns such as enough and proper sleep, regular exercise, plenty of water intake etc
• Stress management and relaxation training
• Surgery in severe cases

EPIDEMIOLOGY –

• It is the third most common disease, with an estimated global prevalence of approximately 14.7%.
• As per the estimation, migraine starts at puberty and can also cause problem in young children, however, it mostly affects the people with age group of 35-45 years.
• It shows that females are more prone to this condition than males.