Sporadic Hemiplegic Migraine—Migraine

If you suffer from migraine headaches, you’re not alone. About 12 percent of the U.S. population gets them. Migraines are recurring attacks of moderate to severe pain. The pain is throbbing or pulsing, and is often on one side of the head. During migraines, people are very sensitive to light and sound. They may also become nauseated and vomit.

Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Some people can tell when they are about to have a migraine because they see flashing lights or zigzag lines or they temporarily lose their vision.

Many things can trigger a migraine. These include

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Lack of food or sleep
• Exposure to light
• Hormonal changes (in women)

Doctors used to believe migraines were linked to the opening and narrowing of blood vessels in the head. Now they believe the cause is related to genes that control the activity of some brain cells. Medicines can help prevent migraine attacks or help relieve symptoms of attacks when they happen. For many people, treatments to relieve stress can also help.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

• Managing migraines at home (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Migraine (Medical Encyclopedia)

Sporadic hemiplegic migraine is a rare form of migraine headache. Migraines typically cause intense, throbbing pain in one area of the head. Some people with migraines also experience nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. These recurrent headaches typically begin in childhood or adolescence and can be triggered by certain foods, emotional stress, and minor head trauma. Each headache may last from a few hours to a few days.In sporadic hemiplegic migraine and some other types of migraine, a pattern of neurological symptoms called an aura occurs before onset of the headache. An aura commonly includes temporary visual changes such as blind spots (scotomas), flashing lights, zig-zagging lines, and double vision. In people with sporadic hemiplegic migraine, auras are also characterized by temporary numbness or weakness, often affecting one side of the body (hemiparesis). Additional features of an aura can include difficulty with speech, confusion, and drowsiness. An aura typically develops gradually over a few minutes and lasts about an hour.Some people with sporadic hemiplegic migraine experience unusually severe migraine episodes. These episodes can include fever, prolonged weakness, seizures, and coma. Although most people with sporadic hemiplegic migraine recover completely between episodes, neurological symptoms such as memory loss and problems with attention can last for weeks or months. Some affected individuals develop mild but permanent difficulty coordinating movements (ataxia), which may worsen with time, and rapid, involuntary eye movements called nystagmus. Mild to severe intellectual disability has been reported in some people with sporadic hemiplegic migraine.