Basics
What is a migraine?
Migraine is a neurologic disease with attacks that can include head pain, nausea, light and sound sensitivity, aura, and post-attack symptoms.
Migraine is a neurologic disease. A migraine attack can include severe throbbing or pulsing head pain, often with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Some people also have symptoms before or after the painful phase, and some have aura.
Migraine is not the same experience for everyone. Attacks can be rare or frequent, mild or disabling, short or long. Untreated attacks in adults commonly last 4 to 72 hours, while children may have shorter attacks.
The common phases
- Prodrome: early warning symptoms can start hours to days before head pain. They can include mood changes, food cravings, neck stiffness, yawning, urination changes, thirst, or fatigue.
- Aura: aura symptoms are temporary neurologic symptoms. They are often visual, such as flashing lights or blind spots, but can also include tingling, numbness, dizziness, or speech difficulty. Aura symptoms usually build gradually and should not last longer than about an hour.
- Attack: the painful phase can include one-sided or two-sided head pain, throbbing or pulsing pain, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or movement.
- Postdrome: after the attack, people may feel drained, foggy, confused, washed out, or briefly sore with sudden head movement.
Not everyone has every phase. A person can have migraine without aura, migraine with aura, or migraine symptoms that do not fit the stereotyped one-sided headache story.
What causes migraine?
The exact cause is not fully understood. Genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role, and research points to changes in brain pathways involved in pain processing. Family history increases the chance of migraine.
Triggers can include sleep changes, skipped meals, stress, menstrual hormone changes, weather shifts, alcohol, too much caffeine, bright or flashing light, strong smells, and some foods. Triggers are personal, and not every attack has an obvious trigger.
Is migraine diagnosed by a scan?
Usually no. Migraine is typically a clinical diagnosis based on symptom pattern and medical history. Imaging or other tests may be used when the story or exam suggests another cause, especially with red flags. See symptoms and red flags for when to seek urgent care.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic: Migraine symptoms and causes
- Mayo Clinic: Migraine diagnosis and treatment
- NHS: Migraine
- MedlinePlus: Migraine
Migraine Manager is a personal health journal, not a medical device. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. Always follow your clinician's advice for diagnosis, medication, and treatment decisions.
Key terms
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Related migraine questions
What causes migraine?
The exact cause is not fully understood. Genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role, and research points to changes in brain pathways involved in pain processing. Family history increases the chance of migraine. Triggers can include sleep changes, skipped meals, stress, menstrual hormone changes, weather shifts, alcohol, too much caffeine, bright or flashing light, strong smells, and some foods. Triggers are personal, and not every attack has an obvious trigger.
Is migraine diagnosed by a scan?
Usually no. Migraine is typically a clinical diagnosis based on symptom pattern and medical history. Imaging or other tests may be used when the story or exam suggests another cause, especially with red flags. See symptoms and red flags for when to seek urgent care.