Migraine

Migraine
Classification and external resources
The pain of a migraine headache can make people very sick.
ICD-10	G43.
ICD-9	346
OMIM	157300
DiseasesDB	8207
MedlinePlus	000709
eMedicine	neuro/218 neuro/517 emerg/230 neuro/529
MeSH	D008881

A migraine is a medical condition which usually causes a pounding, throbbing headache on one side of the head. The pain may be very bad and hurt so much that a person may have a hard time doing anything. While most people who have migraines get a headache, not everyone does. There are different kinds of migraines, and some do not cause a headache but do have other symptoms.

Most migraines cause a headache and nausea and might make the person dizzy or very sensitive to bright lights or loud noises. Some people have "auras" before a migraine starts, which means their ability to see becomes different. They may see funny patterns, have blurry vision, or may not be able to see at all. Other senses can change before or during a migraine, and the person may sense funny smells or tastes. Migraines can last a long time. Migraines usually last between four and 72 hours.

Migraines have been classified, based on how often they happen in a month: If a person has a headache for less than fifteen days, the migraine is called episodic migraine (EM). If it happens more than fifteen days, it is called chronic migraine (CM). Chronic means it happens over a long amount of time. Some people who start off getting episodic migraines may start to get chronic migraines later. Chronic migraine then may revert or go back to episodic migraine.

Scientists have discovered that something called CGRP is the cause of migraines. CGRP stands for "calcitonin gene-related peptide". CGRP is a protein that causes migraines when it is released around the brain. What CGRP does, is that it causes a lot of inflammation in the meninges, a covering above the brain.

There are different risk factors which make a person more likely to have migraines. Being a female is a risk factor, and so is having family members who had migraines. For a person who has migraines, there are different trigger factors which may set off a migraine attack. In a large group of females who have migraines, one of the main trigger factors is when the amount of the hormone estrogen in their body either drops too low or fluctuates (goes up and down).

The World Health Organization says that migraine headache is the most costly brain problem for treatment and disability in the European Union and the United States.^[1]

1. ↑ World Health Organisation Factsheet No 277. Headache disorders. Published March 2004. Accessed December 19, 2012.