SNP Shot: Genomic Insights

A migraine is a severe headache, often characterized by intense, throbbing pain typically localized to one side of the head. The frequency of migraines varies widely, from once a year to several times a week. Chronic migraine is defined as experiencing headaches on 15 or more days per month, with at least eight of those days being migraine headaches. Migraines commonly begin in the teens or early twenties, but can start at any age, from childhood through late adulthood.

A typical migraine progresses through three stages: the premonitory (or prodromal) phase, which precedes the headache; the headache phase itself; and the postdromal phase, following the headache.

The premonitory phase can manifest hours or even days before the headache. Symptoms during this phase may include extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and neck stiffness. Other possible symptoms are excessive yawning, food cravings, irritability, depression, sensitivity to light, and nausea. Approximately one-third of individuals with migraine experience an aura, a temporary pattern of neurological symptoms. An aura usually develops gradually over minutes and lasts between 5 and 60 minutes. Common aura symptoms include visual disturbances like blind spots (scotomas), flashing lights, and zig-zagging lines. Additional aura features may include numbness, speech and language difficulties, vertigo (extreme dizziness), and double vision. Individuals experiencing an aura may also feel abnormal sensations such as tingling or numbness, typically in the hands or mouth. An aura often occurs within an hour before the headache begins, though sometimes an aura occurs without a subsequent migraine.

During the headache phase, the pain can persist from a few hours to several days. In addition to the headache, individuals frequently experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and heightened sensitivity to light and sound. Some may also have visual changes or increased sensitivity to odors and touch.

The postdromal phase generally lasts a few hours but can extend for over a day. Although the headache pain has subsided, individuals may experience fatigue, drowsiness, low energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability, nausea, or light sensitivity. Brief episodes of head pain with movement are also possible.

Individuals with migraine, especially women with migraine with aura, have a slightly elevated risk of ischemic stroke, a type of stroke caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. However, this occurrence is rare.

Several migraine disorders exist, often characterized by additional signs and symptoms. For instance, familial hemiplegic migraine and sporadic hemiplegic migraine involve migraine accompanied by temporary weakness on one side of the body (hemiparesis). Cyclic vomiting syndrome, a migraine disorder commonly seen in children, causes episodes of nausea and vomiting in addition to headaches.

Inheritance:

While there's no clear inheritance pattern for migraines, more than half of affected individuals have at least one family member with the condition.