Migraine with aura: what it is and how to avoid an attack

Many generations of women and men suffer from recurrent headache attacks of unclear etiology.

Sometimes visual, tactile or speech abnormalities, changes in taste, smell, or auditory perception act as a harbinger of this painful condition. These neurological disorders are commonly referred to as the migraine aura.

They may appear 10-60 minutes before the onset of the attack, and stop at the same time as the pain.

If symptoms last longer than an hour, an extended aura is said. For a long time, it was believed that the aura is an integral companion of migraine, but this is not the case. Only 25% of patients experience these symptoms.

How does a migraine attack with an aura differ from the rest?

Painful sensations during an attack are localized in the area of ​​the eyes, forehead, temples on one side of the head, are pulsating in nature and intensify even with a slight physical or emotional stress. As the pain intensifies, the sides may change. Such spasms can last from several hours to three to four days. Migraine with aura has the same characteristics. The only difference is the presence of antecedent symptoms.

Causes

Migraine is a disease directly related to increased excitability of cerebral pain receptors. The aura arises from changes in the activity of neurons in some areas of the brain. So, for example, the aura, manifested in the form of visual disturbances, appears when the neurons of the occipital lobe are overexcited (they are responsible for visual perception).

The development of such conditions occurs as a result of overwork, mental strain or stress. The appearance of this disease is the body's physiological response to our emotional and psychological experiences caused by negative events. It is noted that people who are able to maintain an optimistic attitude during any troubles in life very rarely encounter this ailment.

Clinic

Migraine with aura is characterized by a pressing or throbbing headache, the intensity of which may increase in the first hour after the disappearance of the aura. As with a normal migraine, dizziness, a feeling of mild nausea, an acute reaction to loud sounds and bright lights are possible. In rare cases, the aura reappears during an attack and persists after the pain has disappeared.

Views

There are the following types of aura:

• Visual - occurs more often than other types. It is characterized by the appearance of a flickering spot, which gradually increases. The appearance of flashes, lightning, dots and ghosting of the picture is possible. In rare cases, a whole piece of the visual field may disappear.
• Sensitive - manifests itself in the form of "goose bumps", a burning sensation or numbness, starting from the tips of the fingers and gradually spreading to the entire arm.
• Speech - expressed in a short-term impairment of speech function (it is difficult for the patient to speak, speech is illegible and indistinct, sometimes letters are replaced in words).
• Vestibular - associated with disorientation and severe dizziness, appearing at the same time or in between spasms.
• Vegetative - looks like choking, accompanied by increased heart rate, chills and panic.
• Basillar - occurs in pregnant women and children. Its symptoms: short-term loss of vision after the appearance of a bright flash, tinnitus, dizziness.

Migraine with aura: what it is, symptoms and diagnosis

Factors that increase the risk of seizures include the age range from 35 to 45 years, past viral diseases, stressful situations, aneurysm and allergies.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of the aura during migraine include visual manifestations (dots, lines, circles in front of the eyes, double vision, the appearance of blind spots), various tactile sensations (numbness, burning, tingling), speech disorders, loss of orientation in space and the occurrence choking. They develop gradually and last from a few minutes to an hour. They talk about the presence of a problem only in cases where the patient has at least two symptoms preceding the attacks.

Diagnostics

Migraine with aura, we have already figured out what it is, but not everyone knows how it is diagnosed. As a rule, doctors rely on the symptoms described by the patient that are observed before the onset of an attack, and the characteristics of pain. The patient may be assigned an MRI and CT scan to identify abnormalities present in the brain tissue. For an accurate diagnosis of the disease, it is important to exclude the presence of chronic diseases and dangerous pathologies that can cause pain of a similar type.

Complications

If aura symptoms persist within a few days, there is a high risk of stroke. Other dangerous complications of migraine with aura include various disorders of the cerebellum, migraine status and repeated micro-strokes.

Features in children

There are no regular stresses and severe mental shocks in the lives of children, but children often sit in front of TV, many of them are fond of dynamic computer games, in which bright pictures quickly replace each other friend. This provokes the appearance of the disease in childhood.

In girls, the appearance of such conditions may be associated with hormonal changes during puberty. A characteristic feature of migraine in children is its localization in the temporal region. Your child may have learning and developmental difficulties due to spasms.

Features in pregnant women

Pregnant women rarely suffer from seizures. But due to the aggravation of all the senses, each attack is felt much stronger, and the residual effects in the form of weakness and malaise last long enough.

Migraine headaches with aura: how to avoid an attack with drugs and traditional medicine

In cases where the patient does not take any measures to eliminate the causes of the headache, his the body becomes vulnerable to the development of various chronic diseases and inflammatory processes. He may experience depression and anxiety. Due to regular pain, the quality of life is noticeably reduced: the patient cannot work normally, rest and do everyday activities.

Healing procedures

Physiotherapy procedures for migraines are used to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, restore normal blood circulation in the vessels of the brain and to normalize metabolism in the brain tissues.

Patients are prescribed:

• massotherapy;
• galvanization;
• electrophoresis;
• cryotherapy;
• electrostatic massage;
• UHF therapy.

Medications

The main purpose of using medicines for migraine is to stop the attack and avoid its recurrence. To stop an attack, analgesics and NSAIDs are most often used. Start with small doses, if they are not effective, the dosage should be increased. When the pain is intense, the doctor may prescribe drugs from the triptan group.

It is recommended to take medications when the first symptoms of the disease appear. In this way, the appearance of pain can be avoided.

It is important to remember that at the peak of the attack, the effect of the pills is practically not felt, so there is a high probability of an overdose. To prevent headaches, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, or tranquilizers are prescribed. They should only be started when attacks occur regularly, up to eight times a week.

Non-drug aspects of treatment

During pain attacks, various visual, auditory or sensory phenomena are irritating factors. Therefore, the patient is advised to retire in a darkened room.

To alleviate the condition, you can use the following methods:

• apply ice or a towel soaked in cold water to your forehead;
• put your feet in a hot bath;
• press on the temporal artery.

Food

You can provoke an attack by eating caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, energy), cheese, smoked meats, nuts, yeast bread, sausages, sauerkraut cabbage, some types of vegetables and fruits (bananas, grapes, citrus fruits, eggplants, cucumbers, avocados), foods high in sugar, alcohol, spices.

They should be excluded from your diet as much as possible. Having a history of a migraine with aura diagnosis, your doctor will tell you how to avoid an attack with food. It is advisable to replace meat with sea fish, chicken, turkey and liver. Buckwheat and oatmeal should appear on your table regularly. It is useful for the prevention of pomegranates, as well as its juice.

Aromatherapy

In order to calm the nervous system and avoid a migraine attack with an aura, an aromatherapy session with essential oils can be performed:

• lavender;
• lemon balm;
• lemon;
• rosemary;
• roses.

Natural remedies

If you have a migraine with an aura, how to avoid an attack using natural remedies, it is best to consult your doctor. This ailment can be treated by using peppermint decoction instead of tea.

An infusion of black elderberry flowers is also suitable for these purposes. A decoction of willow bark will help to quickly eliminate pain. You can relieve the condition during an attack by applying an oregano compress to the temples.

Preventive measures

In order to reduce the likelihood of a migraine attack with an aura, several rules must be followed:

• if possible, avoid stressful situations;
• avoid overwork and psycho-emotional overload;
• stop smoking and drinking alcohol;
• normalize sleep.

It is not worth changing the climatic zone without an obvious need. Also, doctors recommend being in the fresh air more often and moving more.