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TENSION HEADACHE:
Tension headaches are the most common. They are from no
apparent disease and are triggered by emotional stress. Women are more commonly
affected. Persisting tension headaches must be investigated to rule out
eye strain, dental problems, sinusitis, jaw-occlusion problems or
cervical arthritis which are normally not symptomatic but present as
headache precipitated by stress and should not be dismissed as
psychological. Your local doctor can help.
VASCULAR HEADACHE:
Vascular headache is produced by a variety of blood vessel
problems. Extraordinary swings in blood pressure may cause transient
headache. Acute severe headache with or without disturbance in
consciousness is usually due to bleeding in the brain precipitated by
acute
profound rise in blood pressure; or
aneurysms (abnormal ballooning of blood vessel); or
arteriovenous malformations (abnormal bunch of blood vessels) and
requires immediate hospitalization. Inflammation of scalp
blood vessels cause headache with tender spots, usually on the sides and
require further investigations.
MIGRAINE:
Migraine usually occurs on the one side of the head. The
classic type starts with a premonitory sign such as blind spots,
localized weakness or numbness which clears as the headache disappears.
Nausea or vomiting may be associated. Women are more susceptible. The
problem may run in families. Various medications are available for
effective control. Only your doctor can select the one that suits you.
BRAIN TUMORS:
Headache is the late symptom of brain tumor. Typically the
patient wakes up with headache which gets worse day by day and is
associated with nausea, vomiting, visual problems and/or progressive
weakness of limbs. It requires urgent investigations.
FACIAL PAIN:
Facial pain may be sharp, short-lived and confined to one
side of the face and is usually due to involvement of the nerve supplying
that part of the face. They are often mistaken for tooth-ache. It is
easily controlled with medication. If medication fails surgery may help.
More diffuse and chronic pain, usually called atypical
facial pain, must be evaluated for more malignant causes such as throat
cancer or tooth abscess.
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