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 rightly diagnose the cause of headache.
Before any treatment, the headache should be first categorized. There are there are numerous ways to categorize 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 major kinds of headaches and can be further classified 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 during their lives. Compared to men women appear to be more prone to experience tension headaches. Migraine headaches are also a common type of headache with almost 12% of the US population (approximately 28 million people) experiences this type 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 might indicate a far more dangerous condition. Due to conditions like meningitis, brain tumors, strokes and encephalitis secondary headaches could come about. Therefore, it is imperative that you seek 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 different headaches are also incorporated into 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. Additionally, the painkilling drugs including paracetamol should be used in the recommended quantities as an overdose might have negative effects like heavy liver damage which would sometimes prove to be life threatening.
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