Cause Of Headache

Headaches are a very common type of condition where pain occurs in areas of the head such as above the eyes or the ears and behind the head or upper neck. In addition, headaches are not generally considered a disease, but rather a symptom of another disease. There are many causes of headaches and these may also differ from one individual to another. Moreover, as sometimes the treatment is difficult, it is vital to correctly diagnose the cause of headache.

Before any treatment, the headache should be first categorized. There are several methods to classify headaches although the most renowned method was introduced by the International Headache Society. According to this classification method, there are three major types of headaches and each type has different causes of headaches.

Primary headaches are one of the main types of headaches and can be further categorized as tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches. In tension headaches, the major cause of headache is physical or mental stress. It is stated that nearly 90% of all adults would experience tension headaches in their lifetimes. Furthermore, women are more prone to tension headaches than men. Migraine headaches are also a common type of headache with nearly 12% of the US population (approximately 28 million people) experiencing this form of headache. Although both of these headaches are very common, cluster headaches are rather rare with affecting only 0.1% of the population. The exact cause of headache in both migraine related and cluster headaches are not presently known. However, none of the above three headaches are life threatening.

Although the cause of headache in primary headaches may not prove to be fatal, secondary headaches may signal a far more dangerous situation. Secondary headaches normally occur due to underlying diseases such as brain tumors, meningitis, encephalitis and stroke. Therefore, it is imperative that one seeks medical attention when one shows headache associated symptoms such as seizures, continuing nausea and vomiting, and vision, speech and behavior changes. There is also another type of headaches called Cranial neuralgia where the cause of headache is inflamed nerves in the head and the neck. In addition to this, facial pains and other various headaches are also included in this category.

It should be remembered that although many headaches may be temporary relieved by painkilling drugs such as paracetamol and asprin, it is vital to seek medical attention if the headache persists heavily. In addition, the painkilling drugs including paracetamol should be used in the recommended doses as an overdose may result in adverse consequences such as heavy liver damage which would sometimes prove to be fatal.

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