In Yucatán, more than 300,000 people may suffer from migraine, one of the most common types of headaches.
The Federal Health Secretariat (SSA) estimates that 15 percent of the population is affected by this disease and, based on the population figures of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), it is inferred that 15 percent of the population in the state suffers from it.
In addition to headaches, migraine reduces productivity in eight out of 10 people. According to specialists, stress is one of the most common triggers for an attack of this neuralgia, which affects women more, in proportion, three to four times more than men.
“About 52 percent of visits to general practitioners are for headaches, most are probably migraines. The symptoms and severity can vary from person to person,” said Julia Jones, a neurologist at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, in a virtual interview.
Genetics and migraine
The specialist said that genetics is believed to play an important role in migraine, but it is also not the reason why some people are more prone to develop them than others.
“We know that some brains are programmed to become a headache. Migraine-prone people have stronger functional connections between the autonomic nervous system and pain centers in the brain,” she said.
She indicated that there are six migraine triggers: stress, hormonal fluctuations, changes in routine, foods and beverages, smells and bright lights, and changes in the weather.
Dr. Jones explained that certain migraine triggers are avoidable.
“Some migraine sufferers need medication to effectively control migraine. Others are able to maintain an ideal routine to prevent them and that is enough to significantly decrease the frequency of migraines, which can mean not skipping meals, getting up at the same time every day, even on weekends, and doing cardio three times a week,” she said.
Finally, she noted that if migraines still occur frequently or continue to be severe, the general practitioner may refer the patient to a neurologist for further evaluation and recommend treatment options.
TYT Newsroom