Headache

Headache: Introduction

Almost everyone gets an occasional headache and they are usually harmless. On the other hand, headache is a symptom of numerous conditions ranging from common cold, flu, or a hangover to very severe conditions such as meningitis, stroke, or a brain tumor (see full list of conditions with symptoms of headache). Because of the range of possible causes, correct diagnosis is very important.

Sudden headache depends on what is meant by "sudden" and can indicate some extremely severe conditions if its onset is rapid, severe, or seems unusual. A headache that comes on reasonably slowly over a period, such as in the afternoon at work, is most likely common headache or a tension headache. But the very rapid arrival of a headache, particularly an excruciating headache, can be a variety of very serious conditions like cerebral aneurysm or other brain condition. Also surprisingly common but not well-known is the sexual headache from sexual exertion that can cause a severe headache that can come on very quickly. Sudden and severe headache can also indicate numerous dangerous conditions (e.g. meningitis, stroke); seek professional medical advice immediately for persistent headache, excruciating headache, headache not responding to medication, or a "worst ever headache". A severe headache that wakes you in the night or a severe headache on waking up in the morning can also indicate a severe brain condition that may have occurred during sleep. If there is any doubt, seek immediate professional medical help. Sudden headache can also be the first instance of a chronic headache problem and hence caused by the various causes of chronic headache.

Chronic headache affects millions of people. There are various headaches that can occur chronically such as migraine, cluster headache, or tension headache. Chronic headache can also occur due to various underlying conditions, medications, or toxins.

Symptoms of Headache

• Confusion
• Memory problems
• Headaches
• Vision problems
• Headache associated with specific symptoms may warrant urgent medical attention, particularly 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 with no previous history of headaches; and recurring headache in children
• more symptoms...»

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Headache:

• Nerve Neuropathy: Related Home Testing:
  • Home Diabetes Test Kits
  • Home Blood Glucose Testing Kits
• more tests...»

Headache: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to Headache:

• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• more complications...»

Medical Textbooks Online about Headache

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Headache

• Blood tests
• Thyroid function tests
• CBC - for anemia
• Head X-rays
• Head CT scan
• more tests...»

See full list of 9 diagnostic tests for Headache

Wrongly Diagnosed with Headache?

• Misdiagnosis of Headache
• Failure to diagnose Headache
• Hidden causes of Headache (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: Headache

Headache: Medical Mistakes

• Migraine -- Health Mistakes
• more mistakes...»

Headache: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for Headache:

• Pain
• Arthritis & Pain
• Injury & Recovery
• Sleeping & Insomnia
• more product offers...»

Headache: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - ADHD can be undiagnosed in adults.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and Headache

Migraine an undiagnosed cause of headache: It is surprising that many migraine sufferers are not initially diagnosed. Although the condition is fairly well known, there...read more »

Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps, particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes. However, there are also...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of mild...read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can occur in post-concussion syndrome...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines...read more »

Hypertension misdiagnosis common in children: Hypertension is often misdiagnosed in adults (see misdiagnosis of hypertension), but its misdiagnosis is even more likely in...read more »

Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders). For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, diabetes...read more »

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple...read more »

Glaucoma-red eye: Acute angle closure glaucoma is a medical emergency and can very often be misdiagnosed when it makes an atypical presentation.It occurs due to sudden increase in the intra ocular pressure. Patients may complain...read more »

Pheochromocytoma can mimic an anxiety attack: Pheochromocytoma is a tumour of the adrenal glands which secretes excessive amounts of catecholamines such as epinephrine and nor-epinephrine. It usually occurs in young patients and is not...read more »

Weil's disease has poor outcome in severe cases: Leptospirosis( Weil's disesase) is a zoonotic condition which occurs due to the entry of spirochetes called...read more »

Rash of Dengue can be misdiagnosed: Dengue fever also known as 'breakbone fever' is a mosquito borne viral infection. The most common clinical presentation is that of severe headache, eye pain, fever, joint pain and...read more »

Immediate care in extradural haematoma: Extradural haematoma is a surgical emergency because it can lead to death if the clot is not removed promptly. It usually occurs following a head injury that has resulted in only a transient loss...read more »

Rare cases of headache: Headache is one of the common symptoms presenting in general practice. It needs a sound diagnostic and management strategy as the problem can be confusing. The key to diagnosing the condition is to know and...read more »

Ross river fever an epidemic polyarthritic condition: Ross river fever is prevalent in mosquito prone areas and in tropical regions. It can occur in all age...read more »

Hidden cancer- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: This is a cancer which occurs in the nasopharynx - an area located behind the nose and above the throat. Vague nature of symptoms, hidden location and rare...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Headache

Headache: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Nerve Specialists:
  • Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
  • Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists)
  • Pediatric Neurology (Child Brain Specialist)
  • Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
• Pain Specialists:
  • Pain Medicine
  • Rheumatology (Arthritis / Joint Pain)
• Arthritis & Joint Health Specialists (Rheumatology):
  • Rheumatology (Joint Health)
  • Pediatric Rheumatology (Child Joint Health)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Headache: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
  • ADHD -- Rare Types
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Rare Types
  • Migraine -- Rare Types
  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of Headache

• See also causes of symptom headache
• Infection
  • Common cold
  • Flu
  • Fever - headaches are common with fever from any type of infection
• more causes...»

See full list of 1433 causes of Headache

More information about causes of Headache:

• Triggers for Headache
• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Headache (2776 listings)
• Drug interactions causing Headache (2307 listings)
• Underlying causes of Headache
• Headache as a complication caused by other conditions
• Headache as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Headache

Treatments for Headache

• Aspirin
• Acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Paracetamol
• Biofeedback
• more treatments...»

See full list of 12 treatments for Headache

Latest Treatments for Headache

• Aspirin
• Acetaminphen
• NSAIDs
• Meditation
• Massage
• more treatments...»

See full list of 13 latest treatments for Headache

News Archives for Headache

Medical news articles related to Headache include:

• Health Tip: Log Your Headache Pain
• Deep Brain Stimulation Aids Those With Rare Headache Condition
• Cluster Headache Treatment Poses Cardiac Dangers
• What May Be Causing Your Child's Headaches
• Many Combat Vets Suffer Severe Headaches Upon Return
• Health Tip: Help Prevent Headaches
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Videos for Headache

Patient Surveys for Headache

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Headache
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Headache

Prognosis for Headache: Depends on subtype and cause of headache; common headache usually harmless.

More about prognosis of Headache

Reseach about Headache

Visit our research pages for current research about Headache treatments.

Clinical Trials for Headache

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Headache include:

• Propofol Injection for Daily Headache - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Propofol
• Psychological Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Benign Headache - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Sumatritpan 4 mg Statdose in the Acute Treatment of Cluster Headache - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Sumatriptan 4mg Statdose injection
• A Study Comparing the Effectiveness and Safety of ULTRACET (Tramadol HCl/Acetaminophen) Versus Placebo for the Treatment of Acute Pain From a Migraine Headache - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - tramadol HCl/acetaminophen
• Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Topiramate in Preventing the Transformation From Episodic Migraine to Chronic Daily Headache. - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Topiramate
• more trials...»

See full list of 147 Clinical Trials for Headache

Statistics for Headache

• Medical statistics for Headache
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Headache
• Death and Mortality statistics for Headache
• Society statistics for Headache

Headache: Broader Related Topics

• Pain
• Head Conditions
• more types...»

Types of Headache

Types of Headache

• Common Headache
• Migraine
• Sexual headache
• Cluster headache
• Tension headache
• more types...»

See full list of 13 Types of Headache

Curable Types of Headache

Possibly curable types of Headache include:

• Tension headache
• Toxic headache
• Ice cream headache
• Coital cephalgia
• Medication overuse headache
• more types...»

Rare Types of Headache:

Rare types of Headache include:

• Cluster headache
• Eagles syndrome
• Temporal arteritis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Medication induced headache
• more types...»

Stories from Users Related to Headache

• Pain/Pressure in back of head when I laugh
• Headaches, dizziness, fatigue
• "ice Pick" Headaches
• living with a cronic pain on the right side of my head. no idea what it is it
• Pain in my head and face FOR 6 MONTHS
• Headache after ejaculation
• 2 painful spots on back of head
• 38 day temple headache
• severe mood swings, body aches, pains in head, chills, fatigue
• calf aches
• Severe Headache, Dizziness, and Fainting (all tests neg)
• Strange symptoms, kalium loss, headaches.
• teen daughter with headaches, bradycardia, and dizziness
• chronic headaches
• Pain on Right side of face & Head
• 24/7 headache !
• what causes my sisters headaches and siezures.
• Aches, feverish for months
• What could be causing our headaches?
• 14 with severe headaches

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Headache, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Definitions of Headache:

Pain in various parts of the head, not confined to the area of distribution of any nerve. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Pain in the head caused by dilation of cerebral arteries or muscle contractions or a reaction to drugs - (Source - WordNet 2.1)