Not Your Usual Headache
More than 26 million Americans suffer from the neurologic disorder
of migraine, according to the American Medical Association. No
medical test exists for migraine, so the diagnosis is based on
having some or all of the following symptoms:
a moderate to severe throbbing pain for four to 72 hours that
is frequently on one side of the head (the word migraine comes
from the Greek hemicranios, meaning half a head)
nausea, with or without vomiting
sensitivity to light and sound.
About 15 to 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience visual
and other disturbances about 15 minutes before the head pain.
These symptoms, collectively known as "aura," may include
flashing lights, zig-zag lines, bright spots, loss of part of
one's field of vision, or numbness or tingling in the hand, tongue,
or side of the face. Migraines preceded by an aura are called
classic migraines; all others are referred to as common migraines.
According to news reports, the Broncos' Davis experienced an aura
during the Super Bowl, allowing him to get early treatment to
prevent a full-blown migraine.
Migraines strike some people about two or three times a year and
others as frequently as twice a week or more. They appear to have
a genetic link. According to the American Council for Headache
Education, up to 90 percent of people with migraine have a family
history of the condition.
While migraines usually appear in young adulthood, children aren't
immune. In children, pain sometimes occurs on both sides of the
head. Associated symptoms can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
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