Headaches
Headaches are generally unpleasant experiences, except for the occasional bedroom headaches; they can be quite convenient! One person’s excuse is another’s nightmare, with individuals left feeling lethargic, and drained of energy.
Occasionally, headaches may indicate a severe medical condition such as a brain tumor or rupture of a weakened blood vessel, called an aneurysm. That’s why if you are experiencing headaches, it’s important to see your doctor for an evaluation.
Headache is defined as pain in the head that is located above the eyes or the ears, behind the head (occipital), or in the back of the upper neck.
Because so many people suffer from headaches, and because treatment is sometimes difficult, headaches have numerous causes, and in 2007 the International Headache Society agreed upon an updated classification system for headache.
There are three types of headaches: primary headaches, secondary headaches, and cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches.
Primary Headaches
Primary headaches are not associated with (caused by) other diseases.
Primary headaches include migraine, tension, and cluster headaches.
Tension Headache
Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache; as many as 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men.
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They usually cause a mild to moderate dull, achy pain. The pain can feel like a tight band around the entire head or occur in a specific area, such as the back of the neck or the base of the skull. Accompanying symptoms may include tenderness in the scalp, neck, and shoulders, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty sleeping.
A number of factors can trigger tension headaches, including stress, insomnia, changes in sleep routine, depression, anxiety, skipping meals, poor posture, certain medications, physical inactivity, clenching or grinding teeth, or being in an uncomfortable body position for a prolonged time.
In addition, conditions affecting the muscles or joints of the neck and shoulders and hormone fluctuations related to pregnancy, menstrual periods, or menopause can trigger headaches.
Migraines
Migraines are the second most common type of primary headache. An estimated 28 million people in the United States (about 12% of the population) will experience migraine headaches. Migraine headaches affect children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty, more women than men are affected. An estimated 6% of men and up to 18% of women will experience a migraine headache.
Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are a rare type of primary headache, affecting 0.1% of the population. An estimated 85% of cluster headache sufferers are men. The average age of cluster headache sufferers is 28-30 years of age, although headaches may begin in childhood.
Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying structural problem in the head or neck. There are numerous causes of this type of headache ranging from bleeding in the brain, tumour, or meningitis and encephalitis. Your doctor or neurologist will diagnose this condition, and treatment will depend upon the underlying condition.
Neuralgia means nerve pain (neur= nerve + algia=pain). Cranial neuralgia describes a group of headaches that occur because the nerves in the head and upper neck become inflamed and are the source of the head pain. Facial pain and a variety of other causes for headache are included in this category.
