by Artisttia Yarns

Created on: June 30, 2009   Last Updated: July 03, 2009

A migraine is a disease; it is not just the typical one-sided headache - a symptom associated that is commonly associated with the disease. A headache is one of many symptoms of migraines; other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to noise, light, or cause a disturbance in the migraine sufferers (migraineurs) visual field. When a stroke occurs as a result of a migraine, it is a migrainous infarction.

In order to understand migrainous infarction, it is first necessary to know about the history of migrainous infarctions, the different types of strokes and classical migraines. It was not until the 1990s that doctors began to recognize migraine as a distinct neurological disease. It is still unknown as to what the actual cause is of the disease; yet there is much speculation.

Strokes typically occur when there is disrupted blood flow to parts of the brain which result in cell death. A hemorrhagic stroke is one in which there is bleeding on the surface or within the brain; one quarter of strokes are this type. A common cause for this type of stroke is a major artery supplying the brain with blood ruptures.

Most strokes are ischemic in nature, meaning there has been a lack of blood supply to the brain. Three-quarters of strokes are the result of ischemia. A primary cause of ischemia in the brain is caused by fatty plaque build in the arteries (atherosclerosis). Before there was an understanding of the disease migraine, migrainous infarctions fell into this category. As recent discoveries have been made, the nomenclature has changed. Physicians formerly called migrainous infarctions complicated migraines and the general public often used the term, migraine stroke.

Not everyone who has a migraine will have a stroke; however, there is an increased risk for those who have migraines. Doctors do not fully understand the cause of a migraine attack. The prevailing theory is that during a migraine, blood flow to the brain is decreased. This is similar in nature to what occurs when there is a stroke.

Persons with the classical presentation of a migraine tend to experience an aura prior to the migraines onset. An aura is a disturbance in the visual field, such as seeing blurry, wavy or jagged lines. Auras can be experienced as tasting or smelling things that are not there. With auras, sounds may be distorted, abdominal pain, weakness or numbness felt.

According to the International Headache Society, if a person is experiencing a classical migraine and, If the

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>