Abdominal Migraine: Everything You Need to Know

Certain medical conditions can be troublesome enough to affect daily life. An abdominal migraine is one such condition. They are characterized by sudden attacks of pain around your abdomen. This article will share with you everything you need to know about an abdominal migraine.

Symptoms

An abdominal migraine is a condition that mainly occurs in children who are between five and nine years of age. Although not often, it can also occur in adults. An abdominal migraine is a moderate to severe abdominal pain that is usually combined with vomiting and nausea, but no headache. The pain usually lasts at least one hour and can last up to 72 hours. Other symptoms include pallor, drowsiness, and fatigue.

Causes

An abdominal migraine is caused by a genetic neurological disease. The attacks are caused by triggers like weather changes, strong lighting, sunlight, and certain foods. Stress, bad sleeping habits, and odors can also trigger an episode.

Diagnosis

If you think you are suffering from abdominal migraine attacks, you should consult a doctor to make sure you aren't suffering from another condition. Gastrointestinal and renal diseases also show some of the symptoms of an abdominal migraine. In order to make a positive diagnosis, your doctor must evaluate you and your family's medical history, review the symptoms, and perform tests to rule out other diseases. Once a positive diagnosis has been made, treatment can begin.

Treatment

There are a variety of medications that will treat the symptoms of an abdominal migraine. You take these medications whenever the pain starts and it will soon subside. There are also medications that focus on relieving the vomiting and nausea you may experience during an abdominal migraine. If you have more than three migraines every month, there are daily medications you can take that will help prevent the attacks.

Long-term

As mentioned earlier, an abdominal migraine is caused by a genetic neurological disease. Patients who suffer from these attacks typically have a family history of migraine attacks. Most people who suffer abdominal migraines as children develop typical migraines when they reach adulthood.

Abdominal migraines can really interfere with your daily life. If you think you are prone to these attacks, you should have a doctor rule out other diseases and prescribe medication to deal with the pain and nausea. Most likely, you will soon develop bouts of typical migraine headaches as most who suffer an abdominal migraine go on to do.