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How Biology Plays A Part In Migraines |
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About 30 million Americans suffer from
migraine headaches every year. Imagine the toll it takes on the global
population. Since it exhibits a tendency to be transmitted from
generation to generation, you have a 50 % chance of deveopling migraine
if one of your parents had it. This risk increases to 75 % if both your
parents had this disorder. One more thing that you should know is that
women are more common sufferers of migraine.
And yes, you may
suffer from migraine even when you are as young as 10 years!
Migraine,
is a condition in which the blood vessels and nerves around the brain
get inflamed. A number of theories which try to explain this
inflammation exist. Some of them postulate that a series of reactions
takes place in the central nervous system due to a change in the body or
environment. Or then again, such people may have inherited triggers from
their family members.
Some theories state that
it is the blood vessels, which expand and contract causing the
unbearable pain associated with migraine. The narrowing of the blood
vessels causes dizziness and even problems with vision. However, when
the blood vessels expand, they put pressure on the nearby nerves thus
causing immense pain.
Another theory suggests that there is an
interruption in the messages sent from one cell to another to narrow or
expand the blood vessels. This is actually what causes the pain. Some
studies have also tried to find a link between epilepsy and migraine.
Whatever
the cause, the fact remains that migraine is an unbearable headache,
which can either be hereditary or be caused by various factors.
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