For a serious neurological disease that causes debilitating headaches and other symptoms and leaves patients incapacitated for days, migraine often gets overlooked or goes undetected and untreated. While most patients brush the symptoms aside as ‘just’ a headache, a migraine is actually much more than just a bad headache. Triggered by light, sound or smell among other things, a migraine can lead to severe headache, nausea, visual disturbances and even temporary loss of vision in some patients. Often genetic, the condition can affect all ages, and severe cases can impair a person’s ability to work or study.
In a bid to shed more light on migraine symptoms, triggers, treatments, social impact and common misconceptions, Gulf News, in partnership with pharmaceutical giant Novartis, is launching a series of podcasts on the condition. Across six episodes, the podcast series will feature leading neurologists in conversation with long-time migraine sufferers, discussing various related
“To start with, let me make one thing clear - not all headaches are migraine headaches,” says Dr Abubaker Almadani, Head of Neurology Department at Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority.
With more than two decades of experience in the field, Dr Abubaker is one of the most recognised names in neurology in the country. “While I do say that not all headaches are migraines, I must mention that migraine is a very common disease,” adding that around 10-15 per cent of the population could be affected by it. Frequent and debilitating headaches should not be ignored, he advises. “If headaches are severe and debilitating, please consult a doctor. They will be able to advise you on the type of treatment required for the headache you are having,” says the Emirati neurologist. “Also, most headaches do not necessitate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Some people believe they have to do an MRI if they have a headache. An MRI of the brain is not necessary for typical m