Both men & women suffer from Migraine headache

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, KalimNews, Research continues to learn more about the condition, but misconceptions persist about what it is and how debilitating it can be.
It feels like “somebody stabbing me through the eyeball with a knife,” “pencils stabbing my ears,” or “explosions going off in my head.” These are some of the ways that Dr. Audrey Halpern’s patients have described the vascular headaches known as migraines. The pain is so severe that it can “cause disability,” said Dr. Halpern, a clinical assistant professor of neurology and migraine expert at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Even if you can make it to work or a social event with a migraine, most of the time you’re not going to be functioning at full capacity.” 
The National Headache Foundation (NHF) estimates that more than 37 million Americans suffer from migraines. Women are three times more likely than men to have migraines, which usually strike people between the ages of 15 and 55. While research continues to shed new light on what causes migraines and what they do to the brain, many people don’t understand how debilitating a migraine can be or what makes it different from a bad headache./span>
According to the NHF, a migraine is generally diagnosed after a patient has had at least five previous headaches that lasted between four and 72 hours. Migraine-related pain is usually felt on one side of the head, and it can be accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light (photophobia) or sound (phonophobia)./span>
A number of things can trigger migraines including lack of sleep, sunlight, certain foods, hormone levels, noises, staring at a screen, and stress. Brain cells set off the release of chemicals that cause blood vessels around the brain to swell and transmit pain signals./span>
The Mayo Clinic estimates that as many as nine out of 10 people with migraines have a family history. Researchers at King’s College London recently found 12 genetic regions associated with migraine susceptibility — eight were located in or near genes linked to controlling brain circuits and two were associated with genes that help keep brain tissue healthy. The hope is that by having “pinpointed some mechanisms through which migraine occurs,” the findings may “pave the way for better diagnosis and potential treatments in the future,” said Dr Lydia Quaye from the Department of Twin Research at King’s College London, in a press statement./span>
A new study published in the journal Neurology suggests that migraines may actually change a person’s brain. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that the risk of brain lesions, white matter abnormalities, and altered brain volume was higher in migraine patients. “Traditionally, migraine has been considered a benign disorder without long-term consequences for the brain,” said study author Messoud Ashina, MD, PhD. “Our review and meta-analysis study suggests that the disorder may permanently alter brain structure in multiple ways.”/span>
Migraines can’t be cured, but according to Lawrence Newman, MD, director of the Headache Institute at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, treatment can help about 70 percent of patients manage the condition./span>
There are two categories of medications usually prescribed for migraines. Preventive drugs, such as anti-depressants and botox, are given to headache-sufferers to avert or reduce the severity of future migraines. Abortive drugs are taken at the onset of a migraine to relieve the pain. Triptans, a common class of abortive medications, work by narrowing blood vessels and blocking pain pathways in the brain./span>
Even with diagnosis and treatment, migraines can severely impact a person’s quality of life. “It really affects one’s ability to actually think and concentrate,” said Halpern, whose patients sometimes avoid planning social activities for fear they’ll have to back out./span>
A January study published in the journal PloS One found that people who suffer from frequent migraines are often stigmatized. “When people treat my patients as if they are to blame because they have a severe, debilitating disease, they are contributing to the problem and making life harder for them,” said study author William B. Young, MD, a neurologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Headache Center./span>
“Patients are maligned by family members, friends and even other doctors,” said Dr. Newman. “People will say, ‘It’s just a headache. What are you worried about?’ ”/span>
Halpern agrees that misperceptions about migraines persist. “I wish people knew how common and disabling this condition is,” she said.