About Migraine, a Chronic Condition of Modern People

Migraine is a type of headache that occurs due to abnormalities in the function of the brain, cranial nerves, and blood vessels in the brain. Because of the misleading name “migraine,” people often think it refers to a headache on one side of the head, but migraine often causes headaches on both sides. Tension-type headaches and tension headaches also often cause pain on one side of the head. “Stress headache” is also a commonly misused name for headaches. Stress is not only the most common cause of tension-type headaches, but also of migraine.

Migraine can occur at any age, but it often first appears in the teens and twenties and is most common in the forties and fifties. In Korea, it is a very common condition, affecting 9% of women and 3% of men.

In some cases, before a migraine develops, there may be symptoms called an “aura.” The presence or absence of these aura symptoms is important for the classification and diagnosis of migraine. The most common aura symptom is having part of the visual field become difficult to see while the surrounding area appears to shimmer. Sometimes it can also present as speech difficulties or numbness in one hand or foot.

The most important feature of migraine is the accompanying symptoms during the headache. When you have indigestion, your head may hurt, or when a headache starts, indigestion may occur, and in severe cases vomiting may accompany it. Sensitivity to light and sound during a headache is also an important accompanying symptom, and patients often rest in a dark, quiet place. Nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound during a headache, along with worsening pain caused by movement, can greatly interfere with daily life and cause significant disruption to housework, schoolwork, and work. Migraine pain is often throbbing, like a heartbeat, so patients complain of “throbbing” or “pulsating” pain. If painkillers are not taken, the duration usually lasts more than 4 hours. The intensity of the headache can vary from a mild headache to a very severe one to the point where the person cannot do anything. In women, migraine attacks often occur during menstruation, which is called menstrual-related migraine or menstrual headache.

Migraine treatment has made remarkable progress, and the development of effective painkillers such as triptans and new preventive medications has been a major turning point in migraine treatment. Unfortunately, however, awareness of migraine treatment is still low among patients and the general public. Even if treatment was previously attempted for migraine and failed, it is worth trying again. Migraine can have its attack frequency reduced with medication, and even after a migraine begins, pain can be reduced or eliminated. Finding the factors that trigger your headaches and adjusting your lifestyle and improving your diet are important for migraine prevention and control.

So far, I have explained migraine, a chronic condition of modern people. In the next part, we will take a closer look at the causes and risk factors of migraine.

Source: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, National Health Information Portal