Current Updates on Migrane: Diagnosis and Management

Abstract

Migraine is a complex, less well understood neurovascular disorder and it is not just a headache. It presents with a myriad of symptoms due to the pathophysiological processes uniting cortical depolatization, brainstem dysfunction, meningeal vasodilatation and excitation of sensory pain structures as remote as the cervical nucleus caudalis. In the management of migraine, patients are usually in the practice of use of medications purchased over the counter including compound analgesics, triptan or ergot derivatives. Most of the physicians commonly encounter patients with headaches. Hence a rational manner of approaching the patient with these conditions, allows a specific diagnosis of migraine to be made quickly and safely. In this chapter we have attemptd to explain the less understood aspects of this disorder including pathogenesis, management and latest updates regarding treatment.