Migraine Headache and Its Association with Emesis and Gastric Motility: A Brief Review

66 CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY Migraine headache is a chronic, debilitating disorder characterized by severe head pain that is usually unilateral and throbbing in nature (1). If left untreated, a migraine can persist for up to 72 hours (2). It is frequently associated with nausea (87%) and/or vomiting (56%), and other symptoms such as photophobia and phonophobia are also quite common (3). As reported in a review in The New England Jour nal of Medicine on the pathophysiology and treatment of migraine headaches (4), fifteen percent of migraine sufferers will experience transient focal neurological symptoms that typically precede their headaches. This phenomenon is known as "migraine with aura," and the neurological symptoms are usually manifested as visual disturbances. However, some studies show that up to 31% of patients report the presence of aura with their migraines at one time or an another (5). It is the Migraine Headache and Its Association with Emesis and Gastric Motility: A Brief Review A SPECIAL ARTICLE