Cause of Headaches
Olivia on Dec 09 2008 at 5:47 pm | Filed under: Women's Health
Although medical science cannot pinpoint the exact cause of headaches in a patient, some of the most common causes can typically be identified in the majority of cases. Headaches are broken down in the medical community into a few categories that assist in diagnosis. The most common form of headache, is known as a Primary Headache and they are experienced by nearly everyone. Primary headaches are what the majority of headaches can be diagnosed as, and are almost never life threatening. Sinus headaches usually occurs with other sinus symptoms, such as nasal discharge, feeling of fullness in the ears, fever, and facial swelling. Cluster headaches are a far more serious form of headache, that although not life threatening, can bring about serious pain. People who suffer from Cluster headaches often experience sharp pain behind the eyes and water or drainage coming from both the eye and nose area are not uncommon.
Tension headaches, are the most common type of headaches among adults and adolescents Significant emotional stress typically results in a contraction of the muscles, and therefore a tension related headache. Prolonged physical stress, such as hard manual labor that is engaged in for several hours, can also result in headaches caused by tension. Although the reasons for skull muscle contraction are difficult to ascertain, it is commonly seen as a result of emotional or physical stress. Migraines occur in certain areas of the brain, but the exact causes of migraines are unknown, however, they are related to blood vessel contractions and other changes in the brain. Migraines are associated with symptoms such as light sensitivity; noise or odors; nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and stomach upset or abdominal pain.
Migraine pain is moderate to severe, often described as pounding, throbbing pain. They can last from 4 hours to 3 days and usually occur 1 to 4 times per month. Inflammatory headaches or Chronic progressive headaches get worse over a period of time, in both strength and frequency. These type of chronic headaches are not common and around less than 5% of all adults will experience them. Hormone headaches occur in women and are often associated with changing hormone levels that occur during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Women can also get these type of headache from taking birth control pills or medication for hormonal balance.
The most serious and potentially life threatening are the Secondary headaches. This is much rarer than primary headaches and treatment should be undertaken as soon as possible to bring the pain under control. The diagnosis of secondary headache begins with a complete patient history followed by a physical examination,laboratory and radiology tests as appropriate. Secondary headaches can be quite painful, and may also be accompanied by other symptoms, such as sensory phenomenon. The most common types of headaches can be classified as 1) primary, 2) secondary, and 3) cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches.
