The most commonly identified forms of migraine are migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Of these, the most common form is migraine without aura, occurring in 75% of cases.

A typical migraine attack develops in 4 stages of migraine:

the first stage is prodromal, occurs in 77% of migraine sufferers, includes a number of symptoms that occur 24-48 hours immediately before the onset of aura and headache, such as: increased yawning, irritability, stiffness in the cervical spine;

the second stage - migraine aura, occurs in 25%, includes the gradual development of completely reversible, usually within an hour, neurological symptoms (visual phenomena, sensory and motor disturbances in the limbs, and much more);

the third stage is the headache itself. Most often, this is a one-sided pain, pressing or throbbing in nature, with a tendency to intensify from ordinary physical activity, such as brisk walking, climbing stairs. Often accompanied by nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. If the patient does not take pain medication, the headache attack lasts at least 4 hours;

fourth stage - postdromal period: after the end of the headache attack, patients may notice general weakness, and sudden movements of the head may cause temporary pain at the site of the previous pain.

Diagnostics

To make a diagnosis, as a rule, instrumental or laboratory tests are not required. The diagnosis is based on a history, neurological examination and compliance of complaints with the diagnostic criteria of the disease.

However, in case of an atypical course or the presence of so-called “red flags”, your doctor may prescribe additional examination.