What is Headache?

How common are headaches in the community?

Headache is one of the most common complaints in the society. The rate of those with headache complaints reaches 90 percent in the society. 90 percent of all headaches are migraine and tension headaches.

What types of headaches are there?

The International Headache Association has classified headaches into 14 main groups and hundreds of subgroups. Headaches that occur directly with a headache and are not related to another disease are primary headaches. These are migraine, tension type, and cluster headaches. Secondary headaches are headaches that are seen at a rate of 10 percent and occur during the course of diseases such as cerebrovascular diseases, nervous system diseases, brain tumors, eye diseases, sinusitis, meningitis, depending on a certain disease.

What are the characteristics of migraine?

Usually the pain is on one side of the head
Pain is throbbing, moderate or severe
Nausea, vomiting occurs
Comes in crises (attacks)
Pain lasts 4 to 72 hours
Visual disturbances occur at the onset of pain (with aura type)
Pain increases with head movements and physical activity
Being disturbed by light and sound
How many types of migraine are there?
It is generally divided into two groups. Predefined migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Only 10 percent of migraines have aura.

What is the aura of migraine?

Aura are symptoms encountered in pro-symptom migraine. Most of these symptoms are vision related. The patient reports seeing bright lights, zig-zag lines, or blurred vision, loss of vision in an area or region. In addition, numbness in the arms and legs, dizziness and speech disorders are also seen. It takes 20-30 minutes and then the pain begins.

Is the cause of migraine known?

Environmental factors create an activation in the brain in genetically predisposed individuals. This activation makes the brain vessels dilate and chemical substances are released. These stimulate the nerves and cause pain.

Does heredity affect migraine?

There is a high probability of migraine in close relatives of migraineurs. Genetic impairment has only been shown in some specific types of migraine.

Does migraine also occur in childhood?

In 10 to 15 percent of all migraineurs, the illness begins in childhood. The rate of migraine in childhood is 3 – 5 percent. This figure rises above 10 percent after puberty. Children with sleep disorders, sleeping difficulties, unreasonable vomiting, allergies, and motion sickness are more likely to develop migraines in the future.

What are the factors that trigger migraine?

• Height changes
• Air pollution, cigarette smoke
• Bright light or flickering light
• Loud and continuous noise
• Perfume odor, other strong odors and chemicals
• Changes in weather (pressure, temperature and humidity change, lodos)
• Seasonal changes (autumn and spring worst times)
• Hunger, skipping meals
• Too much or too little sleep, disturbances in sleep patterns
• Air travel
• Birth control pills
• Hormonal changes in women (menstrual period)
• Some foods and drinks (chocolate, nuts, red wine, etc.)
• Many foods are held responsible among the factors that trigger migraine. However, food that increases migraine pain may be different for each patient. The important thing is to find and discover the substance that triggers the pain of the person himself.

Why is migraine more common in women?

This is related to the hormonal regulation of women. Migraine attacks become rare in women in menopause. During pregnancy, migraine attacks decrease between the 3rd and 9th months.

How can we distinguish tension headache from migraine?

• Tension headache is caused by a lot of stress
• It holds the whole head, is effective at the top. Spreads from the back of the head to the front
• Very rarely can be unilateral
• There may be nausea but no vomiting
• One week – 15 days pass with pain (mild)
• Pain is not in the form of crisis
• There are no visual disturbances before the pain begins
• Movement increases pain
• How should the treatment be in migraine?
• The aim of the treatment is to reduce the trigger factors, to suppress the sensitivity in the nervous system and the events around the veins and vessels that occur during pain. Basic treatment is divided into two as preventive and relapse treatment. If the patient’s pain is seen once or twice a month, treatment is recommended only during an attack.

How is attack-pain treatment done?

Simple pain relievers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ergotamine drugs and triptans are used in pain treatment. If painkillers and ergotamine drugs are used frequently, they cause persistent pain and sometimes they can lead to more serious side effects.
Anti-emetic drugs are given for nausea and vomiting during attacks. Painkillers should be taken at the beginning of the attack. In order to accelerate the absorption, the anti-nausea drug should be taken before the painkiller.