A migraine is a chronic neurological disease that affects almost 12% of the population in the USA. There are two kinds of aura migraine types, without or without one. 30% of the patients report suffering from intense headache pain with these added disturbances. This condition may or may not be characterized by the same classical amount of throbbing pain, which is usually associated with this kind of head pain.
Still, even if a patient doesn’t experience all of the throbbing pain, patients will still experience all the awkwardness and will be unable to function properly when they’re experience one of these kinds of disturbances. Since these kinds of disturbances primarily affect the vision, patients usually face troubles reading, writing, driving and focusing on their computer screens when experiencing one of these episodes.
Background
90% of the patients who suffer from intense headaches with additional symptoms, including some kind of disturbance, usually suffer from visual interferences which are characterized by vision problems and troubles in seeing. These symptoms can be quite disturbing and unsettling, and usually precede the full attack.
When it comes to sensory problems on the other hand, these usually last for anything from a few minutes up to one hour. These symptoms also affect other senses.
In fact, these kinds of symptoms can start on one part of the body and then spread to other parts. Even despite the fact that it seems unusual, these kinds of symptoms without pain are still characterized as an attack, since patients experience most of the other symptoms with these kinds of aura migraine types. That is, of course, everything except the typical throbbing pain.
What are the Different Aura Migraine Types?
To give you some more information, there are basically 4 different kinds, which we will explain in a bit more detail below:
Typical
This particular condition is one of the most common kinds. This condition will or won’t be accompanied by a headache, it really depends.
In this case, patients usually have blurry vision without the pain in the temples. A typical aura also usually has visual and sensory symptoms. Sometimes, patients report seeing zigzag lights that tend to get larger or move. They also usually feel numbness or tingling in either arm that travels up to the neck or face.
As you can imagine, even without the pain, these symptoms can be very disturbing!
Brainstem
The brainstem is another kind of these conditions, and is characterized by recurring attacks that are believed to originate in the brain stem. This part of the body lies at the bottom of the brain and connects to the spinal cord.
in this case, patients experience vertigo(1), which is a feeling that the world is spinning or tilting. Some patients also face troubles remembering or pronouncing some words which usually results in slurring.
A lot of patients also report suffering from ringing in the ears or tinnitus. This noise typically originates from within the body and is unrelated to any exterior factor. In some cases, patients can hear whistling, ringing, buzzing or humming which affect the quality of daily tasks or sleeping. As you can imagine, these kinds of symptoms are very disruptive to daily functioning.
Hemiplegic
The hemiplegic is a very rare type of intense head pain. It can be accompanied by throbbing pain although some patients report experiencing no such pain. However, most patients will all experience the same feelings of nausea, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sounds. Moreover, this type is characterized by weakness and fatigue on one side of the body.
In some instances, patients also sometimes report feeling lateral numbness or paralysis. This symptom is the main reason behind the name of this condition.
Retinal
The retinal is the last type that we will discuss in this article. It is often confused with a typical manifestation of intense pain with visual disturbances although it is by far a more serious condition. This one is ocular in nature, and usually affects the vision in one eye only and can lead to short periods of blindness.
Due to the seriousness of this particular condition, it’s very important to consult with a medical professional if you experience any of the above symptoms.
Conclusion
Overall, even with all of the information available above, It is still very important to find out about all of the different aura migraine types and consult your doctor if you start to experience any of the above symptoms, as they could be indicative of a more serious condition.
Even if you are accustomed to the typical throbbing pain, the variety of other symptoms can also be very debilitating and disturbing, so it’s important to make sure you can get treatment as quickly as possible, to avoid these symptoms recurring in the future.
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