MIGRAINE WITH AURA
Migraine is a more prevalent condition than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined and is ranked as the seventh most debilitating disease globally. There is no doubt that migraines have a significant impact on your life, regardless of the symptoms you experience. The migraine pain attack can range from tolerable to unbearable whilst the aura can range from relatively mild, with no disturbances caused to daily life, to very scary, as it can rob you of things such as your sight, making it dangerous to perform tasks like driving a car.
Although it is often thought that auras are a very common feature of migraines, they actually only present in approximately 20-30% of cases. An aura is commonly the warning sign that a migraine pain attack is about to happen. The most common form of aura is a visual aura.
Visual disturbances can include:
- Flashes of light
- Blind spots
- Zig zag lines
- Shimmering spots or stars
- Changes in vision or vision loss
The next common type of aura are disturbances in your sensory system e.g. pins and needles and/or numbness and the least common form of aura is developing speech difficulties/disturbances. There are, however, no motor weaknesses associated with this migraine type.
Auras will commonly last for no longer than one hour and the symptoms are, thankfully, completely reversible. A migraine pain attack will then commonly follow shortly after the conclusion of the aura.
No one should have to live with migraines. Identifying and understanding what is contributing to your individual migraines is the first step towards treating the underlying cause and making long term changes.
