Headaches. Types, causes, treatment

Headache or headache is discomfort occurring in any area of the head or neck.

The pain may be intermittent or continuous, localized or diffuse, dull or throbbing, sharp. It may occur in a specific area of the head (forehead headache, headache on the back of the head, headache on the crown of the head, headache around the eyes), on one side of the head or on both sides, lasting for minutes, hours or days at a time.

Headache is also the most common reason for going to the doctor. WHO data tells us that ½ of the adult population have suffered a headache episode in the last year. Headache is a worldwide problem, under-diagnosed and as a result under-treated.

Types of headache

Depending on the origin of the symptoms

It is medically very important to determine whether the headache is the main problem (primary headache), but not a symptom of a pre-existing condition (secondary headache).

Primary headaches have no medical cause. They occur as a result of our lifestyles, stress experienced, insufficient sleep, traumatic situations that occur in our lives, poor diet.

Primary headaches include:

1. Tension headache. Tension headache is very common. It can last up to 15 days, within a month, then we talk about episodic headache. But if it lasts more than 15 days over a month, it is chronic headache.
2. Autonomic trigeminal headaches
3. Migraine. Migraine is a chronic condition and the most commonly encountered primary headache. It can have moderate to high intensity and may be accompanied by:

• Sensitivity to noises/sounds (phonophobia);
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia);
• Inability to exercise and concentrate;
• Nausea, vomiting;

Migraine is most common in women aged 35-45, but can occur throughout life. The pain may last for several days. The onset of migraine is accompanied by warning symptoms called aura. They may appear from a few minutes to 1 hour before the headache episode begins. The most common symptoms are numbness in the arms or legs and flashes of light. In older people migraine headaches decrease in frequency and intensity, or may disappear altogether.

There are several types of migraine:

• Basilar migraine: the pain is accompanied by double vision, slurred speech, vertigo accompanied by ringing in the ears;
• Hemiplegic migraine: here there may also be muscle weakness in one half of the body, left or right;
• Retinal migraine: visual symptoms in one eye.

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Secondary headaches

Secondary headaches always have a medical cause.

The most important from a medical point of view is this type of pain, because it can be an indication of the onset of a disease (brain trauma, encephalitis, neuralgia), the development of a pre-existing condition, or the onset of a complication of a pre-existing condition.

Depending on where the pain occurs

• Generalized headaches - can be caused by a cold/flu, too much or too little tension, trauma to the head;
• Forehead pain - affects the area above the eyebrows. Can also be frontal sinus pain, following flu or severe coughing;
• Lateral headaches - are somewhat more moderate in intensity and occur on either side of the head. These headaches do not interrupt daily activity;
• Pains in the jaw area - these are usually caused by dental conditions;
• Pain in the back of the neck - this is related to the cervical spine and cervical muscles (especially when severe dizziness occurs when moving the head from right to left or up and down);
• Pains in the eye region - are felt behind the eyeballs and can be caused by severe fatigue, eye disease or sinusitis;

Headache causes

Headache is a symptom that should not be treated indifferently. The causes are quite difficult to identify and are multiple. Very important is the patient's history, which helps us to find the cause of the pain, but also complex investigations (MRI, CT).

We single out the most common causes:

• Allergy;
• Aneurysm - accompanied by severe pain. In the initial stages it may resemble migraine, later leading to double vision, stiff neck, loss of consciousness. Aneurysm can have uncontrolled hypertension and genetic causes;
• Arthritis - manifested by neck and head pain, and movement intensifies this pain. The cause is changes over time in the cervical spine;
• Genetic - poorly researched. It is thought that the release of substances such as serotonin and histamine may cause headaches;
• Panic attack - symptoms include dizziness, headache, irregular heartbeat, weakness;
• Hormonal causes - cause severe, migraine-like headaches and are more common in women, as they are more often affected by fluctuating hormone levels;
• Cough-triggered headaches - occur as a result of straining when sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose;
• Dehydration ;
• Eye headaches - eye fatigue or olfactory pain can lead to visual problems;
• Post-exertional headaches - are short-lived, generalized headaches that occur after or during physical exertion;
• Daily headaches - are dull, diffuse, throughout the day. They may be associated with depression, anxiety, excessive use of certain medications and more commonly affect the 30-40 age group;
• Fever - causes generalized pain of moderate to severe intensity. It may also be accompanied by stiff throat and nausea. Emergency medical treatment and correct diagnosis of the etiology is recommended;
• Post-traumatic headaches - are generalized, resistant to treatment and may occur every day;
• Hypertension - they are more pronounced in the morning and decrease during the day;

Headache symptoms

The onset of headache may be anticipated by a number of symptoms:

• undue appetite;
• mood change (the patient suddenly becomes nervous, stressed or depressed);
• yawning
• constipation;
• loss of vision in one eye;
• a visual disturbance (migraine sufferers may have blind spots, called scotoamas, or may see geometric patterns or flashing, colored lights);
• nausea;
• vomiting.

What tablets to take for headaches?

Headache treatment includes both patient education with lifestyle changes and drug treatment.

Headache medications fall into 2 categories:

• Medications given in the acute state;
• preventive medication.

In the acute state most commonly used are analgesics and anti-inflammatory, antimigraine and antiemetic drugs.

The anti-inflammatory that rapidly relieves pain is Nurofen Express Forte, or Antinevralgic Forte.

Prophylactic medication includes drugs from various therapeutic classes, tailored to each type of headache.

In the case of headaches in children, it should be borne in mind that they are most commonly caused by inflammatory problems:

• dental (dental caries);
• ENT (otitis, sinusitis, etc.);
• ophthalmologic (decreased visual acuity, visual disturbances, etc.);

Administration of Paracetamol or Nurofen for children may be recommended when the child says he has a headache. However, the period of administration can only be recommended by the doctor.

Headaches are probably the most common medical symptom. This is by no means to say that treating them is within everyone's reach, on the contrary, because headaches have a wide range of causes and the diagnosis can only be made on the basis of the investigations made and the patient's history.