Headache is a painful condition, which can usually be easily and quickly disposed of by drinking an analgesic pill. But if it is paroxysmal and lasts for a long time, then it is almost impossible to cure it, because it is a migraine - the causes of the disease have not been accurately established so far, so effective methods of therapy have not been developed.
Causes of migraine
To date, there are only hypotheses why the pathology under consideration is progressing:
- violation of the exchange of serotonin in the body;
- unevenness of vasodilation in the brain, a decrease in their reactivity;
- narrowed lumens of arterioles, which leads to insufficient blood supply to the brain tissue;
- disorders of the central nervous system.
Usually, seizures occur infrequently, no more than 2-8 times in 12 months. More frequent migraines have different causes of etiology, but directly depend on the lifestyle of a person, his psycho-emotional and physical condition.
The prevalence of the disease during clinical medical research allows us to speak about the genetic nature of migraine. Typically, the disease is transmitted through the female line, because the chromosome with pathological changes - X (female), and suffer from a disease in 80% of cases it is the representative of the weaker sex.
Causes of migraine in women
In the female body, hormonal balance plays an important role, especially between estrogen and progesterone. The dependence of the level of these hormones on the day of the menstrual cycle affects not only the mood of the woman and the state of health, but also the metabolic processes in the brain.
Thus, imbalance leads to an attack of acute headache, which can last from a few hours to 2-3 days.
Migraine with aura - causes
Preliminary symptoms before a migraine attack are called aura. They can manifest themselves in various forms:
- unpleasant sensations on the skin, as if crawling creeps on it;
- loss of orientation in space;
- auditory, olfactory, visual hallucinations;
- dizziness, nausea;
- uncontrolled twitching of limbs, usually by hands;
- lethargy, drowsiness.
The listed signs appear 5-60 minutes before the onset of the pain syndrome and are provoked by the following factors:
- reception of alcoholic beverages (more often - wine beer) and some medications (analgesics, antibiotics, hormonal contraceptives);
- smoking ;
- sudden changes in weather conditions, climate or time zone;
- hormonal disorders;
- lack of sleep or excess sleep;
- physical overload;
- some food (chocolate, cheese, fish, nuts).
In addition, migraine also has psychological causes, such as severe stress, internal experiences, emotional overload, depression.
Eye Migraine - Causes
Ophthalmic form of the disease is quite dangerous, as it is accompanied by the appearance of so-called phosphenes - black and white or colored spots in front of the eyes, as well as the loss of some areas from the field of view. The attack can last up to 30 minutes.
The causes of this migraine are violations of the brain, in particular - the occipital cortex. In this case, the retina and the fundus remain within normal limits.
Migraine - Causes and Treatment
Because of the inability to pinpoint the factors leading to seizures, migraine therapy consists mainly of symptomatic relief. This is achieved by taking analgesics and aspirin-containing drugs (for dilution of blood). It is also recommended to avoid any situations provoking the disease, drinks and products, to be more often outdoors, to adhere to a healthy lifestyle. It is useful to take vitamin and mineral complexes from time to time.