Headache is defined as pain anywhere in the region of the head or upper part of the neck. There can be various causes of headaches or they can be associated with various disorders.
Causes of Headache
The International Headache Society classifies headaches as primary and secondary. Primary headaches are those in which headache and its features are the disorder itself. Secondary headaches are caused by another underlying disorder such as meningitis and subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Common Causes of Headache
Primary:
- Tension headache
- Migraine
- Cluster headache
Secondary:
- Head injury
- Systemic infection
- Meningitis
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Temporal arteritis
- Brain tumor
Other causes mainly include:
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Acute sinusitis
- Pituitary apoplexy
- Venous sinus thrombosis
- Hypertensive emergencies
- Carotid artery dissection
Migraine Headache
Recurrent attacks of headache, varied in intensity, frequency, and duration; commonly unilateral, associated with anorexia, and sometimes with nausea and vomiting.
Causes of Migraine Headache
- Age: The onset may be in childhood with cyclic vomiting; typical migraine appears in adolescence and continues at intervals until the sixth decade.
- Sex: More common in women.
- Hereditary influences: The transmitted factor is an abnormal response of cranial or other vasculature to certain external or endogenous stimuli.
- Prolonged fasting: Causes low blood sugar and ultimately leads to migraine.
- Other causes: Include prolonged exposure to bright light, particular foods (especially cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits, coffee), and mild associated head injury like heading a football.
