The Four Phases Of Migraines
Heather Colman
Migraines are a neurological disease, of which the most common
symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache.
Migraines are usually characterized by severe pain on one or
both sides of the head and are often accompanied by
hypersensitivity to light, hypersensitivity to sound and
nausea.
The signs and symptoms of migraine vary among persons.
Therefore, what a person experiences before, during and after
an attack cannot be defined exactly. The four "signs and
symptoms" below are common among persons but are not
necessarily experienced by all migraine sufferers:
1.The prodrome, which occurs hours or days before the headache.
2.The aura, which immediately precedes the headache.
3.The headache phase.
4.The postdrome.
The first phase: The Prodrome
Prodromal symptoms occur in 40% to 60% of migraineures. This
phase consists of altered mood, irritability, depression or
euphoria, fatigue, yawning, excessive sleepiness, craving for
certain food (e.g., chocolate), and other vegetative symptoms.
These symptoms usually precede the headache phase of the
migraine attack by several hours or days and experience teaches
the person or observant family that the migraine attack is near.
The second phase: The Aura
The migraine aura is comprised of focal neurological phenomena
that precedes or accompany the attack. They appear gradually
over 5 to 20 minutes and usually subside just before the
headache begins. Symptoms of migraine aura are usually sensory
in nature.
Visual aura is the most common of the neurological events.
There is a disturbance of vision consisting usually of unformed
flashes of white or rarely of multicolored lights (photopsia) or
formations of dazzling zigzag lines (arranged like the
battlements of a castle, hence the term fortification spectra
or teichopsia).
Some persons complain of blurred or shimmering or cloudy
vision, as though they were looking through thick or smoked
glass. The somatosensory aura of migraines consist of
digitolingual or cheiro-oral paresthesias, a feeling of
pins-and-needles experienced in the hand and arm as well as in
the ipsilateral nose-mouth area. Paresthesia migrate up the arm
and then extend to involve the face, lips and tongue.
The third phase: The Headache
The typical migraine headache is unilateral, throbbing,
moderate to severe and can be aggravated by physical activity .
Not all of these features are necessary. The pain may be
bilateral at the onset or start on one side and become
generalized, usually alternates sides from one attack to the
next.
The onset is usually gradual. The pain peaks and then subsides,
and usually lasts between 4 and 72 hours in adults and 1 to 48
hours in children. The frequency of attacks is extremely
variable, from a few in a lifetime to several times a week, and
the average migraineur experiences from one to three migraines a
month.
The head pain varies greatly in intensity. The pain of
migraines is invariably accompanied by other features. Anorexia
is common, and nausea occurs in almost 90 percent of persons,
while vomiting occurs in about one third of persons.
Many persons experience sensory hyperexcitability manifested by
photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia and seek a dark and quiet
room. Blurred vision, nasal stuffiness, diarrhea, polyuria,
pallor or sweating may be noted during the headache phase.
There may be localized edema of the scalp or face, scalp
tenderness, prominence of a vein or artery in the temple, or
stiffness and tenderness of the neck. Impairment of
concentration and mood are common. Lightheadedness, rather than
true vertigo and a feeling of faintness may occur. The
extremities tend to be cold and moist.
The fourth phase: The Postdrome
The person may feel tired, "washed out", irritable, listless
and may have impaired concentration, scalp tenderness or mood
changes. Some people feel unusually refreshed or euphoric after
an attack, whereas others note depression and malaise.
Disclaimer: The information presented here should not be
interpreted as medical advice. If you or someone you know
suffers from migraines, please seek professional medical advice
for the latest treatment options.
About The Author: This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather
Colman. Find more resources for migraines at:
http://www.migraines-notes.info
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