Headaches can be managed, not cured, as with proper medical care, education and efforts, almost all headache sufferers can reduce the pain and disability of headache and migraine can be treated with medication.
These observations were made by medical experts while talking to Business Recorder with reference to problem of Headache here on Tuesday.
They said headaches were the result of biochemical changes in the brain while stress, acting on the nervous system made headaches more likely to occur. The stress might be chemical, emotional, biological or psychological. Although, psychological problems could arise from poorly managed headaches but for the most part psychological problems did not cause headaches.
According to them, recent advances in research were expanding the medical community's understanding of headache and creating effective treatments. Headache sufferers had more treatment options to help them control their migraine symptoms.
They maintained most headaches were not life threatening but may seriously influence an individual's quality of life and coping abilities. They strain family life, disrupt leisure activity and diminish career opportunities.
Talking about migraine, they said it was a type of headache that occurs when blood vessels surrounding the brain expand and cause pulsating pain. Migraines usually occur in episodes or "attacks" which may last anywhere from 4 hours to as long as 72 hours.
They said the pain of a migraine headache was generally moderate to severe and could disrupt normal activities. It may feel like it was throbbing or pulsating, and may be located on one side of the head. The pain was usually aggravated by activity and may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound.
To a question they said women were more prone to suffer from migraines, probably due to hormonal changes they experience during menstruation and ovulation. In fact, 18 percent of all women were affected by that condition.
Migraines were thought to affect up to 20 percent of the population. Studies have shown that up to 59 percent of women and 70 percent of men who suffer from migraine had never been diagnosed by a doctor. They said many people who experience migraines had pain and other symptoms so severe they want to lie down in a dark room and go to sleep.
This, obviously, was very disruptive to their lives. However, migraine can be treated with medication.