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Initial Headaches can be broadly categorized into two kinds –
primary and secondary. The headaches which do not have their
roots in infections and diseases form the first category. For
instance head pain caused due to migraine or tensions are
primary headaches. Secondary headaches are those which are
caused due to certain infections. Such kinds of headaches are
serious and should be treated immediately. For the normal
headache, medicines like aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen,
available over-the-counter provides relief; but for migraine or
other infection related headaches medical attention should be
sought at the earliest.
Primary headaches
Migraine
Head pain caused by migraine attacks are the most common of the
primary headache. Almost 12% of the population of the United
States suffers from migraine headaches. This can affect anybody
– from young children to the old. However, research has shown
that though before the attainment of puberty it affects both men
and women equally, in adulthood more women are affected by this
than men; about 6% of men suffer from migraine attacks in
comparison to 18% of the women population. |
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There are various factors that can
trigger a migraine attack
• Environment – pollution, smoke, glaring lights, excessive or
inadequate sleeping patterns, weather changes, inadequate food
intake, very strong smells.
• Hormonal changes – factors like pregnancy, oral
contraceptives, HRT or hormone replacement therapy and
menstruation also cause attacks.
• Food – alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, monosodium glutamate,
artificial sweeteners, certain fruits, sugar, few types of
vegetables and even yeast can cause migraine pains.
• Inadequate exercising and excessive exhaustion are also
responsible.
Tension
Besides migraine, tension headaches are the next most common
causes of headache. It has been seen that almost 90% of adults
suffer from muscle contraction headache or acute tension type
headache. Like migraine, this is also more common in women than
men. The exact causes for this headache are still unknown but it
is assumed that extreme tensions as well as stress are the
dominating factors. Tension headaches are generally mild and
happen on both sides of the head.
Secondary headaches
Chronic headache
Chronic headache is caused due to some injuries in the head and
neck (for e.g. whiplash injury) and hence need to be treated
with great care. Excessive stress can exacerbate this situation.
While treating the patients with chronic headache, doctors first
attempt to bring back the person to the initial acute headache
pattern.
Cluster headache
Cluster headaches are extremely rare situations and affect 1 in
10men and 1 in 6000 women. This is an awfully painful situation
which is typified by sporadic headaches common in youngsters who
are smokers. The symptoms of cluster headache make it unique. It
typically appears in bouts (clusters) for about 6 to 12 weeks
either once a year or once in every two years at the same time
of the year. The person suffers from excruciating unilateral
pain in the area around the eye which happens once or even six
to seven times a day. This pain usually occurs during night.
During this time, the eyes become red and watery with blocked or
at time running nose. This is accompanied by ptosis (or droopy
eyelids). If the situation is untreated for long, it goes into
chronic phase which is very dangerous.
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Sinister headaches
A person suffering from sinister headache should seek medical
attention immediately. A few of the prominent causes of sinister
include:
• Meningitis – this is generally accompanied by fever and a
stiff neck.
• Brain tumors – very big tumors in the brain are also
responsible for this headache. This is pretty rare occurrence
and is usually hereditary.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning – though rare, this can also cause
headaches which can be fatal. The accompaniments are nausea,
vomiting, giddiness, muscular weakness, blurred vision.
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage – this type has an ictal or abrupt
commencement of headache and has no warning signals. This is
often described as the worst of the headaches.
• Temporal arteritis – this is a continuous pain that at times
becomes severe especially at night for patients aged 50 and
above. It is accompanied by the tenderness of the scalp. |
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