Migraine - diagnostic criteria distilled
Medical information is often given in the web. Although diagnosing yourself or even getting medical advice from the web is definately not a good idea, you can assume greater responsibility for your health by staying informed.
Over the years, people have contacted me because they recognized their visual migraine aura symptoms in my computer simulations of such visual field defects, which are presented on various web sites. Some people who contacted me had not even been diagnosed before with migraine, but later were. My impression is that quite a lot often deal with their problem alone using self-prescribed drugs for their headaches.
When a headache is a migraine
No doubt, the web has a significant impact on health care services. By providing access to medical information and advice it is possible to assume greater responsibility for your health. However, only a doctor can diagnose migraine. Having said that, the standardized diagnostic criteria that determine whether a headache is migraine or not, can be found in the web easily.
For example in less than 40 seconds, Dr. Susan Broner manages to summarize precisely these diagnostic criteria in this YouTube video.
According to the 2nd Edition of The International Headache Classification (ICHD-II) the migraine headache is a recurrent symptom manifesting in attacks that usually last 4-72 hours. Typical characteristics of the headache are unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate or severe intensity, and worsening during physical activity.
I once summarized the diagnostic criteria in a single illustration.
Diagnostic criteria according to the International Headache Classification
A At least 5 attacks fulfilling criteria B-D
B Headache attacks (untreated) lasting 4-72 hours
C At least two of the following characteristics: unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate or severe pain, intensity aggravation by physical activity
D At least one of the following: nausea and/or vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia
E Not attributed to another disorder
Read the complete list at the IHS website.
What if your headache attacks fulfill all but one of criteria A-E shown in the figure? It could still be a migraine. It is not that easy. There are many sub-types and a total of 23 diagnostic codes for migraine.
My advice is, go and see a doctor if you think you suffer from migraine. I am happy to talk with everybody who contacts me about visual patterns that they may see during a migraine attack. In particular, how people can provide valuable information on their symptoms for further research. But I am not a medical doctor. I cannot provide or comment on help in migraine treatment, in particular medication or other forms of migraine pain relief.
