Classification of migraine headaches
There are two main classes of migraine headache:
- Migraine without aura (common migraine). Most people with migraines have common migraines. This type of migraine features a throbbing pain on one side of the head that is moderate to severe in intensity and is made worse by normal physical activity. Other features include nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. The headache lasts anywhere from 4 to 72 hours if it is not treated. A common migraine is not preceded by an aura.
- Migraine with aura (classic migraine). Some people with migraines develop an aura within 30 minutes before they develop a migraine headache. Symptoms of the aura include visual disturbances such as wavy lines, flashing lights, blind spots, or distortions of objects. Other symptoms include tingling or a "pins-and-needles" sensation in the hands. A few people have problems putting words in the right order, have numbness in the hands, shoulders, or face, feel weak on one side of the body, or feel confused. Aura symptoms occur gradually, usually within 4 to 20 minutes, and do not last for more than 60 minutes. You may only experience one symptom of an aura or several, but symptoms occur one after the next and not all at once. Sometimes the aura fades as the headache pain and other symptoms begin. Other times it may persist into the early stages of the headache.
Other types of migraine headache include:
- Menstrual migraine. These occur a few days before, during, and immediately after menstruation. Most women who have migraines can relate their migraine headaches to their menstrual cycle. The symptoms of the menstrual migraine headaches are the same as those of either common or classic migraines.
- Migraine equivalent. Migraine equivalent is a migraine aura that is not followed by a headache (also called acephalic headache). This form of migraine often develops after age 50 if you had migraines with aura when you were younger. Usually the neurological symptoms consist of streaks or points of light moving across your field of vision.
- Complicated migraine. These are migraines that have nervous system symptoms, such as numbness and tingling, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, or inability to move an arm or leg. In complicated migraines, the nervous system symptoms persist after the headache has gone away.
- Abdominal migraine. These migraines usually occur in children. They consist largely of cycles of vomiting or periods of dizziness that occur about once a month. The throbbing headache does not accompany the other symptoms.
| Author: | Monica Rhodes | Last Updated: July 3, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology | |
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