The Real Cause Of The Headache

What we refer to as headaches may occur very frequently in various areas of the head like for example behind the head, in the upper neck or ears. In addition, headaches are usually not taken as a sickness, but rather a symptom of another sickness. Causes for headaches are many and these causes could vary from one person to the other. Moreover, as in certain cases the treatment is difficult, it is crucial to rightly diagnose the reason for the headache. Before any treatment, the headache should be first categorized. There are several methods to classify headaches although the most well known 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 kinds 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 said that almost 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 frequent kind of headache with almost 12% of the US population (approximately 28 million people) experiences this form of headache. Cluster headaches which affects only 0.1% of the people are somewhat uncommon though both these types tend to be experienced fairly frequently by most people. The precise reason of headache in both migraine related and cluster headaches has not yet been identified. However, none of the above three headaches are life threatening. Although the cause of headache in primary headaches might not be life threatening, 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 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. In addition, 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 at times prove to be fatal.

epileptic seizure