Aging is a fact of life. Getting older means increasing frailty and susceptibility to illness, but it can also be a boon to migraineurs (people who experience migraine headaches). Only 2-10% of the elderly population experiences migraines (as opposed to up to 28% of adults under 65), and elderly women are still more likely to have them than their male counterparts.
Migraines can happen at any age, but they peak around age 40. The frequency of migraine attacks after 40 decreases for most people. Many migraineurs who have suffered with this condition for years experience a reduction in the frequency and severity of attacks after age 55.
About two thirds of migraineurs stop having attacks altogether by age 65. Patients over 65 who still have migraines report drastically decreased severity, duration, and frequency in their attacks. They are also less likely to experience the gastrointestinal upset that accompanies migraine in younger people.
The downside to all this good news is that adults over 65 who suffer from migraines are more likely than younger patients to experience disability because of their affliction. Many physicians are uncomfortable with treating senior citizens for migraines because therapeutic methods used on younger people are often not tested for safety in an older patient.
Additional conditions and the medications used to treat them complicate the problem. Seniors are more likely to be on one or more prescription drugs and each new medication increases the risk of adverse drug reactions. This possibility makes some doctors reluctant to offer senior migraineurs pharmaceutical assistance.
The onset of migraines after age 50 is very rare and should be investigated with a doctor to rule out the possibility of secondary causes. Late onset does not rule out migraine (only one third of senior headaches are due to secondary conditions) but it makes it less likely.
MYou may have heard some of the myths concerning migraine headache and the people who suffer from them. What follows are the eight most common myths about migraines...as well as the facts.
Myth: Having migraines is a sign that you have psychological problems.
Fact: Migraine is a biological disorder, not a psychological symptom. Some people with mental health problems may have migraines, but migraine is not the cause or the result of these problems.
Myth: A particular type of person tends to get migraine: hypersensitive, uptight, perfectionist, compulsive.
Fact: Researchers who have intensively studied the personality makeup of migraine sufferers have found no evidence of a "migraine personality."
Myth: You bring migraines on yourself. It's all in your head.
Fact: Migraine is a genuine medical disorder -- as real as heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
Myth: There isn't much you can do about migraines; you just have to learn to live with them.
Fact: Migraine cannot be cured, but in most cases it can be controlled by avoiding identified triggers and treating with medicines available over-the-counter, or those your doctor may prescribe.
Myth: Migraine is so awful, it's got to be a sign of something terribly wrong.
Fact: All of the manifestations of migraine are a temporary response to a biochemical chain of events in the central nervous system. When the biochemical balance returns to normal, the symptoms subside.
Myth: Migraine is just another excuse to leave work early or to miss work altogether.
Fact: Migraine sufferers have a legitimate medical reason to take time off from work for treatment and recovery because the migraine condition has real biological causes and should be recognized as a medical condition.
Myth: Migraines are due to allergies.
Fact: Coincidence is the only link between allergies and migraines. Allergies and headaches are common occurrences. Because some people have both, they assume there is a causal connection.
Myth: The more medication you take for a migraine, the better you'll feel.
Fact: Exceeding the recommended dose of any medication won't provide more relief. Instead, it may create more serious problems.
To learn about this and many other factors dealing with Canadian Seniors, go to www.Canadian-Seniors.com
Cathy Skinner is a health care professional working in Kingston Ontario that has a website dealing in all matters for Canadian Seniors.
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