Migraine is a type of headache that often causes severe pain and can last for hours or days. Different types of migraines differ in terms of the associated sensory symptoms they cause, the age at which they begin, and their pattern of duration or recurrence. The second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, or ICDH-II, lists six different classifications of migraine.
Migraine Without Aura
Migraine without aura--formerly known as "common migraine"--is a recurring headache disorder characterized by a history of at least five migraine attacks lasting from 4 hours to 3 days. According to the International Headache Society, these migraines typically cause pulsating pain on one side of the head that ranges from moderate to severe in intensity. The pain may worsen with physical activity. Nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light are also common features of this disorder.
Migraine With Aura
Migraine with aura--formerly called "classic" or "classical migraine"--is a recurring migraine disorder characterized by visual disturbances that may include blind spots, floating zigzag lines, flashing lights or stars or temporary loss of vision, according to MayoClinic.com. These visual disturbances are known as migraine aura. The International Headache Society notes that aura symptoms usually develop progressively over a period of about 20 minutes and may last about an hour.
Migraine with aura may be further sub-divided into three types, depending upon the exact nature of associated headache, visual and sensory symptoms--typical aura with migraine headache, typical aura with non-migraine headache and typical aura without headache.
Other sub-classifications within this category include familial hemiplegic migraine--an inherited type of migraine with aura that causes associated motor weakness--and sporadic hemiplegic migraine--a non-inherited form of migraine with aura that causes motor weakness. The final type of migraine in this category is basilar-type migraine--a migraine that causes visual and auditory symptoms, often affects both sides of the head and causes no motor symptoms.
Childhood Precursors of Migraine
The International Classification of Headache Disorders--second edition classifies certain childhood syndromes that occur periodically as precursors to migraine. As described by the International Headache Society, these include cyclical vomiting--discrete, recurring episodes of intense nausea and vomiting accompanied by pale skin and fatigue--and abdominal migraine--episodes of moderate to severe midline abdominal pain lasting from one to three days that causes nausea and vomiting. Also falling within this classification is benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood--defined as at least five discrete attacks of severe vertigo, or dizziness.
Retinal Migraine
Retinal migraine, or ocular migraine, causes distinct visual disturbances that may include a scotoma, or blind spot, in the central field of vision, or flickering lights called scintillations, according to the International Headache Society. Often, these visual symptoms occur in one eye only and accompany a migraine headache.
Complications of Migraine
Complications of migraine is a classification that encompasses several secondary disorders resulting from unresolved migraines. According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-second edition, these include chronic migraine--a migraine lasting at least 15 days of the month for at least three consecutive months--and status migrainosis--a debilitating and severe migraine lasting more than two days--as well as persistent aura without infarction, characterized by aura symptoms that persist for more than a week. Migraine-triggered seizure--a seizure caused by a migraine aura--and migrainous infarction--a migraine associated with a brain lesion--are the final two sub-classifications within this category.
Probable Migraine
The "probable migraine" classification includes headaches that are migraine-like in nature. The International Classification of Headache Disorders-second edition divides these into three categories--probable migraine without aura, probable migraine with aura and probable chronic migraine.
