It was once said, and still quite common today, that migraine is not a disease, but a whim of hysterical society ladies. And that’s not true. Migraine is a serious disease, 70 percent of the time. genetically determined. Women of working age suffer from it most often, three times more often than men. How burdensome it is is evidenced by the fact that many women are forced to take sick leave during a migraine attack because, with a terrible headache, they are unable not only to work, but also to perform any activities.
– Yes, it’s a disease, not discomfort or a whim; a disease that requires treatment – says Dr. Marcin Straburzyński, MD, a headache treatment specialist, certified by the European Headache Federation. – Since it is a disease largely genetically determined, it cannot be cured, but almost everyone can be helped with appropriate therapies.
Migraine usually has several phases. It starts with irritability, fatigue, nausea, mood disorders, appetite, some develop blurred vision and a stiff neck. Then comes the aura that precedes the attack – these are visual disturbances, numbness of the body. Usually, the aura precedes the attack by about half an hour, which in turn is manifested by severe headache, photophobia and hypersensitivity to sounds. And finally the fourth phase, i.e. low mood and a feeling of complete exhaustion.
– You need to know that migraine is not just a headache, it is much more than that – emphasizes Dr. Straburzyński. – This is a serious disease that can have serious consequences. A disease that has serious social and economic costs. That is why treatment is so important. Because it’s not just a lifestyle change, avoiding factors that can provoke attacks; migraine must be treated pharmacologically and supplementally.
There are many migraine treatments: from the so-called natural methods, dietary supplements, through non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, triptans to drugs used in other diseases that, as research has shown, can prevent attacks and thus also work well in the treatment of migraine, e.g. antiepileptic, antidepressant or cardiological drugs. Botulinum toxin, nerve blockage or the so-called alternative methods.
– The latest drugs are biological drugs, these are antibodies that inhibit or block the pathomechanism of migraine related to the excessive secretion of a certain neuropeptide. They are very effective, in any type of migraine, convenient to use, it is enough to give them an injection, subcutaneously, once a month or even quarterly. It is actually a group of drugs that have recently started appearing in Poland, unfortunately they are not reimbursed. However, we should remember that each of the methods should be selected individually – points out Dr. Straburzyński. And, importantly, it should be louder about migraine, because it is a common and still neglected disease.
Press release prepared by the Journalists for Health Association, November 2019.