Youth & Teen Problems

Those people that suffer with the very powerful headaches often referred to as ‘a migraine’ may well have started having them when they were in their childhood or around puberty. Often these attacks can last for days where the victim must seek bed rest; however, if it is treated, they can end in a matter of hours. An attack is debilitating and sufferers are usually left feeling crippled and exhausted after the head pain has passed.

There doesn’t seem to be any regularity to the attacks either as one individual might have a number each month whilst another sufferer will only have an attack once a year. A number of the symptoms associated with this condition resemble those seen in people with other common complaints. Most migraine attacks occur between the ages of 10 to 40 years old although why this is no-one really knows; strangely, very few individuals suffer with this condition after they reach fifty years old.

It is not uncommon for a number of family members to share a migraine headache problem and hereditary links are believed to exist; even though there may be a link, so far it has eluded medical science. Sufferers may acquire sensitivity to a medical condition that brings about inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves near the brain, resulting to pain. Another area that still isn’t fully understood is why these headaches are more prevalent in women with approximately three times as many women suffering than men; one in every 4 women will be a victim of it, whilst only 1 in 12 men will suffer with it at some point in their life.

A number of people have a warning when they are about to have an attack which is called migraine with aura which can be anywhere between ten minutes to half an hour before the actual attack. The signs for this attack seem to affect the senses and can include:

* Queasiness
* Vision is affected
* Loss in the sensation of taste
* Lack of sensation in sufferers extremities

these are the most commonly experienced symptoms. The most common type of this condition is known as migraine without aura; many early indications felt by those who have a warning are symptoms felt by those who have no warning but their condition can be made worse if they are in constant motion.

Whilst the exact reason why some people suffer with migraine still eludes medical science, the theory that the narrowing of blood vessels to the brain is the closest they have come to discovering a migraines cause. The blood vessels may then expand afterwards, which might account for the headache; whatever the cause, sufferers all agree that an attack stops them from doing anything in their daily lives until it has receded. The range of possible triggers that create an attack is huge; the most common are listed below:

* Bad weather
* Certain food groups
* Altitude
* Drinks
* Very bright internal lighting
* Not enough sleep
* Work related stress

Only by carefully documenting everything that was going on prior to the attack can the victim hope to find out what starts the attacks off.

A migraine is a form of very painful and long lasting head pain, quite unlike a normal headache which can start in people in their formative years. Normally lasting for a couple of hours or more when medication is administered, most are normally felt just on one side of the head but can affect someone for many days if they haven’t taken anything to ease the pain. Most sufferers will confirm just how tiring an attack is even once it has passed.

One thing that is still unknown is why some people have much more frequent attacks than others. Some symptoms could easily be associated with other illnesses like influenza for example. What isn’t understood is why migraines can start at an age as early as ten but normally stop before someone reaches the age of forty; strangely, very few individuals suffer with this condition after they reach fifty years old.

Whilst family groups are known to share attacks, so far there has been a problem finding a genetic trait that links certain family members to migraines; whilst genetic factors may be involved, this link has yet to be proved. Sufferers may acquire sensitivity to a medical condition that brings about inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves near the brain, resulting to pain. There are three women to each man that suffer with this condition; only one in twelve men will experience an attack in their lives.

Another symptom that is not consistent is those people that know when they are going to have an attack anything up to 30 minutes before it happens; this sensation is called migraine with aura owing to the type of feeling they experience. A number of different warning signs have been exhibited as shown below:

* Feeling of sickness
* Enlarged blind spots
* Loss in the sensation of taste
* Problems with speech

other symptoms exist but these appear to common with most people. However, the condition that’s most common is a migraine without aura where the pain increases in one area of the head; this also includes nausea which can be aggravated by movement, noise and light which is the reason most sufferers lie quietly on a bed in a darkened room.

The current belief is that the blood vessels close to the brain might contract, increasing pressure which may cause the migraine with aura experience. It might be that it is the expansion of the blood vessels afterwards that causes the headache; however, all suffers say the attack knocks them out and they are unable to carry out even the most simple of daily tasks. There are many possible triggers for an attack some of which are shown below:

* Weather
* Particular foodstuffs
* Height
* Particular drinks
* Powerful bright lighting
* Irregular or missed meals
* Stress caused by personal problems

It is therefore a good idea for the victim to see if there is a pattern to the attacks which could then make it easier to avoid them.