Migraine and Stroke are remarkably similar to each other and cause a variety of events when they occur. Both these conditions share some significant similarities in terms of symptoms.
They cause vision changes, vertigo, and speech difficulty, and both conditions can make a person feel terrible, causing pain and hypertension. Even though there are numerous similarities between Migraines and Stroke, they differ significantly.
Key Takeaways
- A migraine is a headache that can cause severe pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.
- A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, leading to brain damage.
- Migraines are not life-threatening, while strokes can be fatal.
Migraine vs Stroke
Migraine is a moderate or severe headache that is felt as a persistent pain on one side of the head and accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Stroke is a medical condition that occurs when something blocks the blood supply to the brain, causing brain damage, disability, or death.
A migraine is a short-term event, and the most common sign of a migraine is recurrent attacks of headache, along with other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or touch.
A throbbing or pulsating pain occurs around your eye or temple on one side of your head. However, migraines do not cause any permanent damage to the brain. They are temporary events.
Strokes are long-term events. A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of your brain is obstructed. Without enough oxygen, the brain’s cells begin to die. There are two possible reasons for this.
Blood vessels in the brain are either blocked by blood clots or rupture, causing bleeding in and around the brain. This leads to permanent brain damage. Therefore, unlike migraines, these are permanent events.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Migraine | Stroke |
|---|---|---|
| Event | Temporary event | Permanent event. |
| Damage caused | No brain damage is caused. | Permanent brain damage is caused due to the lack of blood supply to the brain. |
| Trigger | Migraines are usually associated with some triggers. | Not normally associated with everyday triggers. |
| Medical emergency | A chronic medical issue that can occur several times in a month. | A serious medical emergency. |
| Effect | A migraine is a short-term event. Hence, it does not result in serious events like death. | Strokes are long-term events that can lead to a person’s death. |
What is Migraine?
A migraine is a short-term event, and the most common sign of a migraine is recurrent attacks of headache, along with other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or touch.
It is a chronic medical issue that can occur several times a month. Migraines tend to cause severe pain, but it does not have any long-term effects.
When you have your first migraine, you do not experience neurological deficits such as weakness, loss of sensation, or vision loss.
Nevertheless, there is an exception to this rule, as migraines that occur for the first time in a person’s life can sometimes cause neurological deficits.
They also tend to be associated with everyday triggers like lack of sleep, food, hormonal changes, and stress.
Even though migraines can cause a lot of pain, they do not lead to any serious effects like death. Migraines don’t last long, and they do not cause any brain damage or any chronic damage to the body.
Migraines are, as such, a common and treatable condition associated with both childhood and adolescence.
What is a Stroke?
Strokes are long-term events. Symptoms of a stroke tend to appear suddenly. Strokes are more likely to cause what is known as “negative” symptoms, such as losing sight in one eye or losing feeling in one hand or foot.
It is a critical medical emergency and can cause long-term effects.
Individuals over 60 with risk factors, including heart problems, hypertension, blood disorders, or high cholesterol, are far more likely to suffer from strokes. A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of your brain is obstructed.
There are two possible reasons for blood circulation issues: the blood vessels in the brain are either blocked by blood clots or rupture, causing bleeding in and around the brain. This leads to permanent brain damage.
Strokes are severe to a level where they can even lead to the death of a person. They are permanent events. They are not associated with everyday triggers, and the risk increases with age. Therefore, stroke is most definitely a treatable condition.
However, the threat from strokes is much more than the risk associated with migraines.
Main Differences Between Migraine and Stroke
- Migraines are a temporary event and do not cause any brain damage. On the other hand, Stroke is most definitely a permanent event and can cause permanent brain damage.
- Migraines tend to cause severe pain, but it does not have any long-term effects. On the other hand, Strokes can only occur once and cause long-term effects.
- Migraines are a chronic medical issue that can occur several times a month. On the other hand, Strokes are critical medical emergencies that can even lead to the death of a person.
- Everyday triggers cause migraines. On the other hand, Strokes are not associated with everyday triggers.
- Migraines are not always risky. On the other hand, Strokes most definitely hold more risk than Migraines.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1474442211702666
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1474442205701642
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
