According to World Health Organization (WHO), Migraine is one of the most debilitating diseases, with significant repercussions on the personal, social, work and emotional lives of patients who suffer from it. Approximately 12 percent of the world’s population suffer from migraine, with a clear predilection for young adults and women.
One of the main types of headache is migraine and it is one of the causes most frequent cases of temporary disability among women aged 15 to 49. According to specialists, migraine is characterized by pain that usually affects half of the head, starting with the temple or forehead. The pain is very intense and is usually accompanied by nausea, discomfort from light and sound with episodes that can last from a few hours to days.
Experts detail that before puberty, boys and girls are equally likely to suffer from migraine, but once development is reached, the disease is much more common among women. “This type of headache usually affects women more around the ages of 30 and 40, a particularly busy period of life, with work, family and children,” he explained. Gennaro Bussoneneurologist, founder of Headache Center of the Besta Hospital of Milan.
“The reason it affects women more is that they tend to be very stressed and pressured by family and work commitments, and they lead a life with their foot always on the accelerator. It is the brain that “warns” the woman that she has exceeded the limits with the headache, which becomes a symptom,” Bussone detailed to the Corriere Della Sera journalistic portal.
On the other hand, various research indicates that women also tend to have more difficulty sleeping than men, and fatigue can cause headaches. However, for many specialists, female sex hormones, and in particular their fluctuation, are the main cause of migraine in women.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that Estrogens play an important role in the development of migraine. Between 60% and 70% of patients suffer headache attacks related to different times of the cycle, especially just before or during menstruation, when the level of estrogen drops.
Research has not yet elucidated why estrogen fluctuations trigger migraines; However, the female hormone carries out important activities within the brain, so hormonal changes could trigger a series of events that then culminate in a migraine. Even some women may also suffer from headaches during pregnancy.
In addition to migraine, women are about 1.5 times more likely than men to suffer from tension headaches. The classic headache is characterized by a dull, diffuse pain of mild to medium intensity and, therefore, bearable, but which does not allow one to carry out normal daily activities as one would like.
In that regard, it is still not clear why tension headache It is more common in women, but stress and anxiety can play a role, in addition to subjective triggers. Some studies suggest that andThis type of headache is more common in women in the days close to their menstrual cycle, and hormones could also be involved in this case. Other studies, however, do not provide evidence that hormones are responsible.
“Tension headache is the somatized mirror of an emotional state,” Bussone told the Italian media and added: “To limit migraine and headache attacks, relaxation techniques can be tried, such as mindfulness or Pilates. Physical activity can prevent, and even cure, some headaches, especially tension headaches favored by an unhealthy lifestyle.” Currently, there are new drugs for preventive therapy that reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. and they are more effective than traditional therapies, especially when it comes to side effects.
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