Acute migraine: an overview

Migraine is a primary headache disorder that affects people of all ages. It is the second most common type of headache disorder after tension headache. Migraine headache usually begins in adolescence, peak in the third decade of life, and becomes less frequent and less severe in later decades. Migraine affects women three times more often than men. Migraine can be very debilitating and can significantly impair an individual's ability to perform daily activities. Creating a clinical review on acute migraine and its management, using a pragmatic approach based on recent advances. The author reviewed the available literature on migraine and identified relevant articles through a literature search in the PubMed database to create this review. Migraine diagnosis is based on clinical examination and medical history, and imaging is usually not required. There are two main types of pharmacological treatment for migraine: abortive treatment to stop acute attacks and prophylactic treatment or preventive medication to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. The treatment of migraine is constantly improving with new target-specific treatments, neuromodulation devices, and non-oral formulations of established medicines. This comprehensive review focuses on recent guidelines, newer approved drugs, and emerging therapies for managing acute migraine.