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What is Headache?
There
are four types of headache: vascular, muscle contraction
(tension), traction, and inflammatory. The most common
type of vascular headache is migraine. Migraine headaches
are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides
of the head, an upset stomach, and, at times, disturbed vision. Women
are more likely than men to have migraine headaches. After
migraine, the most common type of vascular headache is the
toxic headache produced by fever. Other kinds of vascular
headaches include "cluster” headaches, which cause
repeated episodes of intense pain, and headaches resulting
from high blood pressure. Muscle contraction headaches
appear to involve the tightening or tensing of facial and
neck muscles. Traction and inflammatory headaches
are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus
infection. Like other types of pain, headaches can
serve as warning signals of more serious disorders. This
is particularly true for headaches caused by inflammation,
including those related to meningitis as well as those resulting
from diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears, and teeth.
Is
there any treatment?
When headaches occur
three or more times a month, preventive treatment is
usually recommended. Drug therapy, biofeedback
training, stress reduction, and elimination of certain
foods from the diet are the most common methods of preventing
and controlling migraine and other vascular headaches.
Regular exercise, such as swimming or vigorous walking,
can also reduce the frequency and severity of migraine
headaches. Drug therapy for migraine is often combined
with biofeedback and relaxation training. One of
the most commonly used drugs for the relief of migraine
symptoms is sumatriptan. Drugs used to prevent
migraine also include methysergide maleate, which counteracts
blood vessel constriction; propranolol hydrochloride,
which also reduces the frequency and severity of migraine
headaches; ergotamine tartrate, a vasoconstrictor that
helps counteract the painful dilation stage of the headache;
amitriptyline, an antidepressant; valproic acid, an anticonvulsant;
and verapamil, a calcium channel blocker.
What
is the prognosis?
Not all headaches require
medical attention. But some types of headache are signals
of more serious disorders and call for prompt medical
care. These include: sudden, severe headache or sudden
headache associated with a stiff neck; headaches associated
with fever, convulsions, or accompanied by confusion
or loss of consciousness; headaches following a blow
to the head, or associated with pain in the eye or ear;
persistent headache in a person who was previously headache
free; and recurring headache in children. Migraine
headaches may last a day or more and can strike as often
as several times a week or as rarely as once every few
years.
To read the rest of this article from the National Institute
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, please click here:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/headache.htm
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