HYDERABAD,:Consultant Neuro and spinal Surgeon, and Assistant professor of the department of  Neurosurgery of Liquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, Dr Riaz Ahmed Raja has underlined the need for adopting an effective strategy against increasing cases of migraine.

Talking to APP here on Friday, he said people could avoid the disease by adopting preventive measures.

The migraine headache usually aggravated by daily activities such as walking upstairs, leads to nausea, vomiting,diarrhea, facial pallor, cold hands and feet, sensitivity to light and sound commonly, he informed.

A typical attack lasts between 4 and 72 hours, he said adding that an estimated 40 to 60 percent of migraine attacks are preceded by warning symptoms lasting hours to days. The symptoms may include sleepiness, irritability, fatigue, depression or euphoria, yawning, and cravings for sweet or salty foods.

Dr Riaz said migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body and this system is often regarded as a part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain.

He said the increased sympathetic nervous activity in the intestine causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The impaired absorption of oral medications is a common reason for the ineffectiveness of medications taken to treat migraine headaches, he said.

The increased sympathetic activity also decreases the blood circulation and this leads to

pallor of the skin as well as cold hands and feet.

He said that for approximately 24 hours after a migraine attack,

the migraine victims may feel drained of energy and experience a low-grade

headache along with sensitivity to light and sound. Some of sufferers may have

recurrences of the headache during this period, he added.

He said disturbances such as sleep deprivation, too much sleep, poor quality of sleep, and frequent awakening at night are also associated with both migraine and tension headaches, whereas improved sleep habits have been shown to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches.

The neuro-physician said migraine is often under-diagnosed and under-treated and there is no cure for migraine.

He said nevertheless, there are numerous interventions that could help restore an improved life for migraine sufferers.

He said these measures should be considered from different aspects of the particular patient's condition with triggering factors, nerve inflammation, blood vessel changes and pain.-APP