OverviewA headache is a painful sensation in the muscles, the skin, or one of the organs in the head or near the brain.
What is going on in the body?Causes of headaches commonly fall into four categories:
• vascular headaches, which are caused by conditions affecting the blood vessels. A migraine is a common form of vascular headache.
• tension headaches (also called muscle contraction headaches, usually brought on by muscle tension or spasm
• inflammatory headaches, which are caused by infections or lesions such as tumors
• headaches associated with abnormalities of cranial nerves, called cranial neuralgias. The cranial nerves supply the face, head, and neck.
There are no nerve endings in the brain itself. Therefore, a headache is a painful sensation in the muscles, the skin, or one of the organs in the head or near the brain. The pain can be confined to a small area or it can cover the entire head.
Some headaches (especially migraine headaches) can be preceded by auras, which are unusual sensations involving sounds, smells or visions that are not really present.
Most headaches are benign, meaning that they are self-limited and not likely to be serious. However, some headaches are serious and require extensive evaluation.
What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?A headache may involve:
• pain in the head
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visual impairment, such as blurred vision
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malaise, or a general feeling of discomfort
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
Headaches have a wide variety of causes.Vascular headaches include: migraine headaches of all typesclassical migraines, throbbing headaches that are usually preceeded by an aura, a strange series of visual, smell, or feeling perceptionophthalmoplegic migraines, which are severe headaches usually felt around the eyecluster headaches, which are severe, one-sided headaches that occur in groupsheadaches associated with hangovers from excessive alcohol intake, or exposure to other drugs and toxins
What can be done to prevent the condition?
Many causes of headaches are not preventable. An individual may develop headaches after exposure to alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, or stress. Avoiding those triggers can help prevent headaches.
How is the condition diagnosed?
The first step in diagnosing the cause of headaches is a complete history and physical examination. The healthcare professional may then order tests, including: a cranial CT scan, or examination of the head with a special three-dimensional X-raya cranial MRI, which is a special three-dimensional image made using a powerful electromagnetic fieldan electroencephalogram (EEG), which is a recording of brain wavesskull X-raysa spinal tap, which involves removing a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid with a thin needlebiopsy of the arteries in the head. This test involves collecting a piece of the artery and examining it under the microscope.testing of levels of certain drugs or toxins in the blood
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HEALTH CENTERS
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