Aura refers to feelings and symptoms you notice shortly before a headache begins.Formerly known as a Classic or Complicated migraine, comprises of visual disturbances and other reversible neurological symptoms which can develop over 5 minutes and typically lasts up to 60 minutes, but if it occurs longer than that it is termed as ‘prolonged aura’. In exceptional situations, some people can experience aura for some days, weeks or even months. But, it looks like true that many people who have a migraine with aura also experience a migraine without aura.
Symptoms include an abdominal sensation, numbness, or muscle weakness on one side of the body, a tingling sensation in the hands and face, trouble speaking and confusion, nausea, loss of appetite, increased sensitivity to light, sound and odours.
Key points of Migraine with Aura
- Temporarily lose part or all of your vision
- Sometimes it happens that people with migraine experience only the aura and no headache, sometimes it is both.
- Aura consisting of visual, sensory, speech symptoms
- At least 2 attacks fulfilling the aura symptoms
- A migraine without aura begins during the aura or follows aura within 60 minutes
- At least 0ne symptom occurs in less than 5 minutes and or each symptom lasts less than 5 minutes to more than 60 minutes then it is a migraine with aura.
- Factors causing migraine with aura includes genetics and overweight
Types of Migraine with Aura
- A Retinal Migraine causes complete or temporary loss of vision or pain around one eye
- Basilar Artery Migraine causes to feel dizzy, confused, nausea more common in women due to hormone changes
- An Ocular Migraine similar to retinal migraine has pain around one eye or may even become paralysed
- A Status Migraine which lasts up to 72 hours and may even be hospitalised. It causes due to environmental and chemical toxins
- An Acephalgic Migraine it does not include headache pain but include visual disturbances and other symptoms such as digestive discomfort.
Four phases of Migraine with Aura
- Prodrome
- Aura
- Headache attack phase
- Postdrome