Migraine headaches account for more difficulties in doing physical and mental activities than any other neurological condition. A lot of people feel that the severe headaches mean something dangerous is happening inside their brain. For example, is your migraine caus-ing you to have memory loss?
Although they can cause your head to hurt like crazy, 95% of all migraines are harmless. They may be accompanied by flashing lights and dizziness, which are caused by a tempo-rary change in the electrical activity of the brain that lead to head pain and sensitivity to light & loud noises.
Complex migraines, also known as migraines with aura, affect about 30% of people who have migraine. The aura represents reversible neurological symptoms that usually evolve over the course of 5 minutes and almost always disappear within the course of an hour and is usually followed or accompanied by a severe migraine headache.
The aura symptoms include:
- Visual sparks or flashes of light in the eyes,
- Zigzag lines or prism like visual illusions
- Blind spots in the vision
- Tingling or numbness of the face, hand, or one side of the body,
- Difficulty with expressive language where the individual has difficulty forming words or articulating what they want to say
Migraine with aura can closely mimic or resemble the symptoms of a stroke and several research studies have shown that people suffering with migraine attacks are at a slightly increased risk of stroke which can cause cognitive decline and memory loss. When a pa-tient has an episode of migraine with aura for the first time they need to be evaluated com-prehensively for stroke.
A headache specialist or neurologist can usually diagnose migraine just by asking questions about your headaches and performing a physical exam. Sometimes blood tests or an MRI may be ordered to rule out any other medical condition may be causing your headaches.
North Suffolk Neurology is a full-service Neurology, Headache Medicine, and Sleep Medicine practice consisting of dedicated, experienced staff committed to helping our patients and their families maintain and improve their health. To schedule an appointment, please call: (631) 364-9119.
