CLASSICAL MIGRAINE (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS MIGRAINE WITH AURA)
Classical migraine is common migraine plus an aura. The most frequent type of aura is disturbance of vision – blurring of vision, flashing lights in front of the eyes, moving zig-zag lines, distortions of vision or blank spots in the field of view. Other aura symptoms include tingling or numbness in fingers, lips or tongue, weakness on one side of the body, and difficulty in forming sentences or speaking properly. In some cases the aura can include one-sided paralysis lasting up to two hours.
Typically aura symptoms occur before the headache starts. Only about ten to twenty per cent of migraineurs get an aura, and the side affected in the aura is not related to the side on which the headache occurs.
To have an aura you must have one or more of the following symptoms:
Disturbances of vision, which are often the same in both eyes
One-sided tingling or numbness
One-sided weakness
Inability to speak normally, usually caused by difficulty in forming sentences. Aura symptoms are reversible, usually going away completely after less than an
hour,, and there is a distinct order of severity. Most common are the visual symptoms; then disorders of sensation; then (much less frequently) speech disorders, altered level of consciousness, and finally weakness or paralysis.
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