What Are The Risk Factors To Migraines?

Migraine headaches are headaches that affect over 35 million individuals. That accounts for nearly 1 in 4 households within the United States that includes someone who either experiences migraines or has risk factors towards migraines. A migraine is an extremely debilitating occurrence that will cause head pain and other symptoms that can put a migraine sufferer completely out of commission. While many individuals understand how migraines work as well the symptoms that occur along with them, but many people do not understand the migraine risk factors that can be present. If individuals are aware of these risk factors as well as the triggers and warning signs then hopefully migraine prevention or elimination can be attained.

What are the Risk Factors?

Migraine risk factors occur in any individual who might be predisposed to having a migraine occurrence. It is estimated that only 1 percent of the entire populations will be able to escape headaches all together during their lifetime. ON the other hand studies show that in the course of a year about 90 percent of the population get at least one headache, while over a billion individuals worldwide will experience migraine headaches. It is important for individuals to understand these risk factors to migraines so that they can be more prepared when one does occur and be able to treat it properly. Some of the following are common risk factors to migraines:

• Family History and genetics play a large role in the risk factors of migraine headaches. Studies have shown that nearly 90 percent of individuals with migraines actually have a family history of migraine occurrences. So if a family member, especially a mother, father, brother, or sister has migraine headaches then as a member of that family that individual is more prone and more likely to experience migraine headaches.
• Age also plays a role in the risk factors of migraines. Usually migraine headaches will affect individuals between the ages of fifteen to fifty-five. However, just as with any rule there is an exception, and migraines do affects about 5 to 10 percent of children. Just as the family history plays a role, a child would have a higher risk factor of experienced migraines if one and/or both of their parents have migraine headache occurrences.
• Hormones are another part of the risk factors of migraines. This is especially true for females. Women often find their migraine occurrences to fluctuate during the month according to their cycles, and will experience migraine occurrences just before or right after the onset of menstruation. It is also been shown that migraines can change during pregnancy as well as menopause when hormones fluctuate the most among women.
• Gender is another risk factor for migraine headaches, especially for women. Studies have shown that women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience migraine headaches.
• Other Conditions seem to play a role in the risk factors of migraines. Many individuals who experience migraines have a history of anxiety, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, stroke, or epilepsy. While these specific conditions do not necessarily increase the risk factors for migraines it is of importance to note that they are often associated with them.

How are Migraines Treated?

Whether or not a person tends to fall within the category of having certain risk factors to migraine headaches, pretty much anyone will agree that once a migraine attack takes place the first thought is to find treatment and relief. Often times migraine sufferers will experience a diminished overall quality of life because of the migraine and how these attacks affects the physical, emotional, and social well-being of the migraine sufferer. There are many different approaches to migraine treatment. Each migraine sufferer, whether having only one in their lifetime or being considered a chronic sufferer, must find the best treatment options that will work for them on a personal basis.

• Pain Relieving Medications are used for migraine treatment when treatment is needed for acute migraines or for abortive migraine treatment. These particular drugs are designed to be taken in the middle of a migraine to help stop the symptoms that have already started. Many pain relieving medications for migraine treatment include the use of Triptans, Ergots, Anti-nausea drugs, Opiates, as well as Dexamethasone. The thing to remember about these pain relieving drugs is that many of them cause negative side effects and many of them can become habit forming.
• Preventative Medications can include the use of cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants, as well as anti-seizure medications, cyproheptadine, and even Botulinum toxin type A (Botox). Again these medications are used for prevention and must be used before a migraine begins, while they are necessary at times, these drugs can also cause negative side effects and also become habit forming as well.

Tags: chronic migraines, migraine headaches, Migraine Support Formula, Prescription medication, preventative migraine treatment, Risk Factors