Headache

WHAT IS HEADACHE

There are more than 150 types of headache. They fall into two main categories: primary and secondary headaches.

Primary headaches

Primary headaches are those that aren’t due to another medical condition. The category includes:

• Cluster headaches.
• Migraine.
• New daily persistent headaches (NDPH).
• Tension headaches.

Secondary headaches

Secondary headaches are related to another medical condition, such as:

• Disease of blood vessels in the brain.
• Head injury.
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• Infection.
• Medication overuse.
• Sinus congestion.
• Trauma.
• Tumor.

SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES OF HEADACHE

Are headaches hereditary?

Headaches have a tendency to run in families, especially migraines. Children who have migraines usually have at least one parent who also suffers from them. In fact, kids whose parents have migraines are up to four times more likely to develop them too.

Headaches can also be triggered by environmental factors shared in a family’s household, such as:

• Eating certain foods or ingredients, like caffeine, alcohol, fermented foods, chocolate and cheese.
• Exposure to allergens.
• Secondhand smoke.
• Strong odors from household chemicals or perfumes.

What causes headaches?

Headache pain results from signals interacting among the brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves. During a headache, an unknown mechanism activates specific nerves that affect muscles and blood vessels. These nerves send pain signals to the brain.

What causes migraines?

Migraines aren’t fully understood. But researchers think migraines result when unstable nerve cells overreact to various factors (triggers). The nerve cells send out impulses to blood vessels and cause chemical changes in the brain. The result is disabling pain.

What triggers headaches and migraines?

Common triggers of tension headaches or migraines include:

• Alcohol use.
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns.
• Depression.
• Emotional stress related to family and friends, work or school.
• Excessive medication use.
• Eye, neck or back strain caused by poor posture.
• Lighting.
• Noise.
• Weather changes.

Tension headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. Tension headache pain tends to be:

• Consistent without throbbing.
• Mild to moderate.
• On both sides of the head (bilateral).
• Responsive to over-the-counter treatment.
• Worse during routine activities (such as bending over or walking upstairs).

Migraines

Migraines are the second most common type of primary headaches. Symptoms of migraines include:

• Moderate to severe pain.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Pounding or throbbing pain.
• Pain that lasts four hours to three days.
• Sensitivity to light, noise or odors.
• Stomach upset or abdominal pain.

Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches are the most severe type of primary headache. Cluster headaches come in a group or cluster, usually in the spring or fall. They occur one to eight times per day during a cluster period, which may last two weeks to three months. The headaches may disappear completely (go into remission) for months or years, only to recur later. The pain of a cluster headache is:

• Intense with a burning or stabbing sensation.
• Located behind one of your eyes or in the eye region, without changing sides.
• Throbbing or constant.

New daily persistent headaches

New daily persistent headaches (NDPH) come on suddenly and last for more than three months. They typically occur in people who weren’t having frequent headaches before. The pain of NDPH is:

• Constant and persistent without easing up.
• Located on both sides of the head.
• Not responsive to medications.

Sinus headaches

Sinus headaches are the result of a sinus infection, which causes congestion and inflammation in the sinuses (open passageways behind the cheeks and forehead). People, and even healthcare providers, often mistake migraines for sinus headaches. Symptoms of sinus headaches include:

• Bad taste in mouth.
• Deep, constant pain in your cheekbones and forehead.
• Facial swelling.
• Feeling of fullness in ears.
• Fever.
• Pain that gets worse with sudden head movement or straining.
• Mucus discharge (snot).

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