subject: The Devastating Effects Of Basilar Migraine [print this page] At times migraines can turn out to be much more than a pain in the head. A variant of the classic migraine with aura is the Basilar Migraine. It was in the past referred to as BAM an abbreviation for basilar artery migraine. Though very rare basilar migraine is fatal and in most cases life threatening.
The basilar artery is responsible for supplying blood to the brain stem and a constriction of this artery leads to the symptoms of basilar migraine. At first it was thought that BAM only affected adolescent girls and women. Research has however shown that it can affect anyone regardless of age and gender though primarily it's a problem for the initial group (adolescent girls and women).
Partial or double vision, severe vomiting, general weakness, loss of balance, numbness on both or one sides of the body, lack of coordination and confusion or dizziness are some of the symptoms of basilar migraine during the aura phase. The affected person experiences these symptoms for at most and hour but they fade away as soon as the headache begins. After the headache the symptoms can be experienced for some days. Basilar migraine may also cause the sufferer to lose consciousness or pass out during the aura phase. In some instances, though chances are very slim, the sufferer may slip into a coma and the come can last for a few hours or even days.
The most dangerous thing about basilar migraine is that it can lead to a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). The definition of a transient ischemic attack is a miniature stroke that is caused by momentary disruption of blood flow to the brain. The difference major between TIA and a stroke is that whereas a stroke causes permanent damage to the brain, it has not been proved to be the same with TIA. Some of the effects of TIA are neurological problems such as weakness on one side or slurred speech. But these effects clear out within 24 hours of the attack.
Basilar artery is found at the back of the head. While headaches associated with migraines are manifested as unilateral temple throbbing, the basilar associated headache is manifested as a severe throbbing ache at the back of the head. This severe ache at the back of the head is usually on both sides.
