Migraineis a common neurological disorder that is known to affect a number of individuals all across the globe. Almost 15 percent women and 5 percent men are affected by this disorder which can be quite debilitating and may even disrupt the functioning of daily life. The symptoms of migraine and stroke are quite similar and in a number of cases people mistake a migraine for stroke.

Symptoms of a migraine:

A migraine is characterized by headache which can be unilateral or bilateral and is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, increased sensitivity to sound, light and smell, blurred vision, loss of sensation, fatigue, anorexia etc. A migraine may or may not be accompanied by an aura phase. As per research, 1 out of every 5 migraine patients tend to experience aura symptoms that are known to cause visual distortions such as blind spot, bright flashing lights, glare and other symptoms such as needle pricking sensations in the arms, hands, mouth and nose regions, muscle weakness on one side of the body, numbness and slurred speech.

Symptoms of a stroke:

Certain symptoms of stroke and migraine aura are quite similar based upon which area of the brain has been affected. The symptoms of a stroke include visual disturbances, numbness on one side of the body, speech distortions, muscular weakness on one side of the body and headache.

Dissimilarities between migraine and stroke:

Migraine aura is usually caused by over activity of the brain cells, whereas a stroke is caused by a disruption of blood flow to the brain. Another dissimilarity between the two disorders is that a stroke can cause permanent brain damage by migraine aura cannot. Other differences include:

In the case of visual disturbances in a stroke there is loss of vision, whereas in migraine aura the patient sees bright flashes of light or crisscross lines.

A stroke is sudden, whereas the symptoms of migraine aura progress gradually.

In case you suspect a stroke or have any of the above symptoms you must contact your doctor immediately and not try to diagnose the disorder on your own.