Ocular migraine: What causes it? - Mayo Clinic
Usually, an ocular migraine is not cause for concern. But ocular migraine symptoms can interfere with daily activities, such as reading and driving. These episodes, also called migraine aura or optical migraine, occur without a headache and are relatively common. During an ocular migraine, you may see:
Flashes of light
Zigzagging patterns
Blind spots
Shimmering spots or stars....
Labels: General Health
posted by http://ExecWellnessCoach.com @ 7:55 AM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Ocular Migraines may not be serious but, in my case and in those of many others, it can be an early warning symptom of a disease called CADASIL. CADASIL is a disease of the tiny blood vessels deep inside the body, and usually a disease "young" people. It manifest most prominently in the vessels of the brain although skin disease can be part of the syndrome. Migraine with aura, beginning usually around age 30 +/-is one of four symptoms necessary for diagnosis, including tiny lacunar infarcts deep inside the brain, and a recently mapped gene mutation, NOTCH 3 gene on chromosome 19. To find out about this inherited disease, check out CADASIL, an acronym for a very long name coined by the original French researchers. Eventual, progressive dementia and tiny strokes lead to death, usually from pneumonia. Pneumonia is often the cause of death because the strokes can cause control in the brain of the flap in the esophogeal area to stop working, and patients aspirate food into their lungs. Treatment resistant depression, fatigue, neuromotor issues (such as spasms and jerkiness) with the limbs and jaw are also involved. There are also many ohter subsets of symptoms. Very few people, including doctors, know about this disease yet, but most neurologists will be aware of it. The definitive diagnosis, after an MRI that confirms tiny strokes in the white matter of the brain, is a blood test sent to Athena labs, back east in the USA. It will usually take at least a month to get the results. This blood test determines whether you have the mutuations on Chromosome 19. There are many mutations possible on the gene that can cause the symptoms. Research is still in the very early stage and only somewhere between 500-600 families have been identified world wide. For this reason, it is considered a rare disorder, but most doctors will tell you they think it also very much underdiagnosed. There is no real treatment or cure (in the usual sense) other than baby aspirin and supportive therapy for the symptoms. CADASIL patients are also at high risk for cardio-vascular disease and heart attacks, so staying in good health, of course, helps. This disease progresses regardless of high blood pressure or high cholesterol, etc. L-Arginine has helped some families. The progression of the disease varies widely even within families. There are various Internet support groups and information sites.
Wendy Kase
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