TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com Reported by Zahra Ayaz Migraine is turning out to be one of the leading reasons for emergency-room visits in Bahrain, according to an expert. Bahrain Specialist Hospital Emergency Physician, Dr. Alaa Azmi, also pointed
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Reported by Zahra Ayaz
Migraine is turning out to be one of the leading reasons for emergency-room visits in Bahrain, according to an expert. Bahrain Specialist Hospital Emergency Physician, Dr. Alaa Azmi, also pointed out that more female patients than males were seeking treatment for the health problem.
It is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraine attacks can last from hours to days (up to 72 hours), and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities. He said that poor lifestyle choices, stress, lack of sleep, and junk food were just a few of the many probable paths that cause migraines these days.
Dr. Alaa noted that the medical management in Bahrain is huge for migraines and starts from simple analgesics to a wide variety of treatments, and some medications are considered to be used for prophylaxis as well.
"Migraines can be brought on by coffee or caffeine withdrawal. Alcohol, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, and MSG-containing foods (pastas, aged cheeses, pickled and fermented foods, kiwis, figs, avocado, banana, and low-fat yoghurt) all contain monosodium glutamate."
Moreover, he advised people to try to keep a regular, soothing bedtime routine, avoid screen time before bed, and perhaps most importantly, wake up at the same time every day. "Migraine is also affecting children; attacks may be shorter-lasting; headaches are more commonly bilateral; and gastrointestinal disturbances are more prominent."
Migraine with aura, which is seen in around 25% of migraine patients, tends to be easier to diagnose, with a typical aura being progressive in nature and may occur hours prior to the headache," he added. He went on explaining, "Typical auras include a transient hemianopic disturbance, which is numbness in one side of the body, or a spreading scotoma, a jagged crescent shadow seen through the eye."
The management of migraine is divided into treatment and prophylaxis, and prophylaxis is considered the most important, as when we prevent the attack, it is more helpful to the patient that treats it."
