What is a Vascular Migraine?

When you think of the word migraine, the first thing that comes to mind is a really bad headache. When you add the word ‘vascular’ to migraine, it sounds even more ominous. Vascular headaches are thought to be headaches caused by blood vessels functioning abnormally. A vascular migraine is included in the group called vascular headaches because it is a headache believed to be caused by vessel contractions. The vascular migraine is actually the most common type of vascular headache. (College, 2009) Today, a vascular migraine is not really considered just a problem of the blood vessels or vascular system of the brain, but a much more complex neurological problem. (Janssen-Cilag, 2009)

It is important to remember when thinking about a vascular migraine that the headache pain is only a symptom of a larger problem called migraine disorder. The headache a person has with migraine disorder always has other symptoms like sensitivity to light, seeing “sparklies”, nausea, vomiting, or a host of other symptoms. The term vascular is used because older research led doctors and scientists to believe that the pain of a vascular migraine came from the blood vessels in the head changing shape, that they were narrowing and widening. The changing of the vessels was actually believed be the only cause of the pain that a migraine sufferer felt when they had a headache. (Virginia, 2008) In one sense this is true, but there is much more to it than that.

There are really three different working theories concerning migraine headaches today. First, there is some research that deals with abnormal nerve activity. Second, other research concentrates on the idea of the sheath of the nerves becoming irritated by compounds such as nitrous oxide or phosphorous – but the most widely accepted theory is still the idea of the vascular contraction. During a vascular migraine headache, the arteries on the side of the head which is feeling the pain are enlarged along with additional activity in the brain stem. In the brain stem, research has documented an increased level of serotonin and calcitonin associated with vascular headache pain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter of the brain and calcitonin is a hormone used in the regulation and uptake of calcium and phosphorous in the body. There has been no real explanation found yet for the extra activity in the brain stem but this has been referred to as the “migraine generator” in some research. (Janssen-Cilag, 2009)

Current research on vascular migraines has doctors trying to answer the question “what causes the vessels to contract?” The information regarding vascular migraines today deals with the interplay of hormones and brain chemistry. It is thought that serotonin and estrogen levels play a pivotal role in the processes that cause vessels in the brain to contract. (Virginia, 2008) It has been discovered that if an excess of serotonin is released, it will cause blood vessels to contract. In this same manner, if a drastic change occurs in estrogen level, it can also trigger the blood vessels to contract. The contraction of blood vessels is what eventually leads to the pain of a vascular migraine. It is the vessel contractions that causes the sparkles, nausea, and vomiting that many vascular migraine sufferers report. (College, 2009)

Vascular migraines are the most common type of vascular headache but they are not the only type. Toxic headaches are also vascular in nature and the second most common type of vascular headache. These headaches can be caused by fever, allergies, pneumonia or any illness that causes an immune response in the body. Less common types of vascular headaches are a cluster headache which occurs on one side of the head and are caused by vascular contractions not associated with the migraine disorder. The headaches caused by a rise in blood pressure are also included in the vascular headache category. (Janssen-Cilag, 2009)

Vascular migraines used to be considered only vascular in nature, but recent research indicates that blood vessel changes are not the actual problem but that the changes in brain chemistry may be the actual culprit. It would seem to be more accurate with the research being conducted today to refer to vascular migraines as brain chemistry migraines or brain change migraines. With so many sufferers, the research into the area of vascular migraines continues.

Works Cited

College, W. C. (2009). Vascular Headaches and Migraines. Retrieved November 18th, 2009, from New York Presbyterian Hospital: http://nyp.org/health/vascular-headache migraine.html

Janssen-Cilag. (2009). Migrain Association of Ireland. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from Research and Studies: http://www.migraine.ie/index.php?id=310

Virginia, U. o. (2008). Vascular Headaches and Migraines. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from University of Virginia Health System: http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/toplevel/why-choose/overview/home.cfm

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See also: Getting Migraine Pain Relief

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