Headache is typically thought by the public and healthcare providers alike to be primarily a problem for younger individuals. However, headache and migraine can occur in older individuals as well.
Other more serious disorders or so-called secondary headaches should be considered and carefully evaluated for when headaches occur later in life (e.g. with neuroimaging), but it is not unheard of for migraine and other headache disorders to affect older people.
“Hypnic headaches” which are headaches that awaken patients from sleep, are short-lived, and occur almost exclusively in the elderly. In addition, associated migraine symptoms or “migraine variant” symptoms may be more common in older patients than in younger individuals as well.
Visual symptoms, dizziness and tingling sensations may be manifestations of symptoms related to the spectrum of migraine. As with any health condition, please consult your physician/neurologist regarding your condition, as this discussion is just a general discussion of interesting concepts in neurology.
