Headaches are a common condition that can be experienced by anyone, including children and adults, many times during their lives. Pain in the head or the face is the major symptom of a headache. Notably, there are many types of headaches and most of them are not dangerous. However, certain types can indicate a serious underlying condition.
Read ahead to know more about the different headache types and their causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
Headaches are the most common form of pain in the head or scalp. Also, they can vary greatly with regard to severity, location and frequency of the pain. Often, a headache is described as a pressure that is constant, sharp, throbbing or dull.
It is to be noted that headaches tend to run in families, especially migraines. Children whose parents have migraines are up to four times more likely to develop them. Further, environmental factors shared in a family’s household like eating certain foods, exposure to allergens, second hand smoke and strong odour from household chemicals can trigger headaches.
Serious causes of headaches are rare as many people feel better by making lifestyle changes or learning ways to relax. However, certain types of headaches and causes sometimes need medical attention.
With over 150 types of headaches, they are majorly categorised into primary and secondary headaches. Let’s dive deeper to know more about them.
Caused by the over-activity of pain-sensitive features in the head, primary headaches are not a symptom of an underlying medical condition. Typically, they are not dangerous, but can be painful and disrupt day-to-day life. It is to be noted that some people may have certain genes that increase their risk of developing primary headaches.
The types of primary headaches are:
They are considered a symptom or a sign of an underlying medical condition.
Here are the types of secondary headaches that are not necessarily dangerous. Also, they resolve once the underlying condition is treated.
The following are the types of secondary headaches that can be a symptom of a potentially life-threatening condition:
Different types of headache pain result from signals that interact amongst the brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves.
Besides, some primary headaches can be triggered by lifestyle factors or situations, such as:
Further, common causes of secondary headaches include:
Also, it is to be noted that secondary headaches can be caused by potentially serious health problems like aneurysms, high blood pressure, glaucoma, brain tumours, head injuries, meningitis and stroke.
It is important to get medical assistance right away when suffering from the following headache symptoms:
It is vital to know the type of headache and reason behind it in order to prescribe the specific therapy to improve symptoms. A healthcare provider will conduct a complete physical examination and also discuss the medical history along with headache symptoms. During headache evaluation, he/she may also order some neurological tests that focus on ruling out diseases causing headaches.
Further, a computed tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help determine if a headache is connected to a central nervous system issue. Both the tests offer cross-sectional images of the brain that can indicate any abnormal area.
While scans and other imaging tests play a significant role in ruling out other diseases, they do not aid in diagnosing migraines, cluster or tension-type headaches.
Headache treatment depends on its type, frequency and cause. An occasional, mild headache can be easily treated at home with over-the-counter pain relievers. Not just this, applying heat or cold packs to the head, doing stretching exercises, taking a walk, resting in a dark and quiet room, and massaging the head, neck or back, can also help in such cases.
For treating primary headaches, it is important to know triggers. Keeping a headache log can reduce the number of such episodes. Also, knowing headache triggers can help the healthcare provider tailor a treatment plan. For instance, if tension is leading to headaches, then counselling and stress management techniques can help in this regard.
Not every headache requires medication, but occasional tension headaches usually respond well to over-the-counter pain relievers. Notably, using these medications too often can lead to long-term daily or medication overuse headaches.
Further, prescription headache medications are recommended for frequent or severe headaches. A migraine attack can be managed with triptans. Sometimes, drugs used for treating high blood pressure, seizures and depression can help prevent migraines.
Besides, the treatment for secondary headaches involves addressing the underlying medical condition. For instance, surgery is often required to treat secondary cough headache.
By and large, headaches are common and usually not concerning. However, they can be caused by a serious illness occasionally. There are various types of headaches like migraine and cluster headache. Most of the headache types are easily managed by avoiding triggers and consuming pain relief medicines.
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