Headache Information Page
Table of Contents
What is Headache?
Is there any treatment
What is the prognosis?
What research is being done?
Organizations
What is Headache?
A headache happens when
pain-sensitive nerve fibers (called nociceptors) are triggered in
the network of nerves that extends over the scalp, face, and along
the surface and the base of the brain. Ninety percent of all
headaches are triggered by stress or tension. These muscle
contraction headaches usually resolve on their own or with the help
of over-the-counter painkillers. Other types of headache have
different triggers and are not as easily treated. Doctors classify
headaches as belonging to one of the following classes:
Muscle contraction headaches are caused by sustained
tension in the muscles of the face and neck. The pain is usually
mild to moderate and feels like pressure is being applied to the
head or neck.
Vascular headaches are caused by abnormal blood flow
changes in the brain. This type includes migraine headaches; toxic
headaches due to fever or exposure to triggering chemicals such as
MSG, insecticides, or solvents; and cluster headaches, which
strike in groups or clusters over several weeks to a month.
Vascular headaches are characterized by intense, throbbing pain on
one or both sides of the head.
Traction headaches happen when nerve fibers are pulled,
stretched, or displaced, for example, by squinting to compensate
for poor eyesight. Brain tumors can also cause traction headaches
as they press against pain-sensitive blood vessel walls. Traction
headaches typically feel as if a strong pressure is being applied
to the head.
Inflammatory headaches are caused by irritation or
infection of the arteries or nerves in the head, sinuses, spine,
neck, ears, or teeth. Arteritis, an inflammation of arteries in
the head, and meningitis, an inflammation of the brain's outer
covering, are examples of this type of headache. Pain is usually
mild to moderate and can be periodic or continuous depending on
its cause.
Most headaches can be easily
diagnosed, since types of headaches tend to have clear-cut symptoms
that fall into recognizable patterns. If a headache isn't relieved
by standard treatments, people may be referred to a specialist.
Is there any treatment?
Treatment depends on the type
of headache. Muscular contraction headaches, such as tension
headaches, are relieved using over-the-counter painkillers, muscle
relaxants, or stress reduction techniques. Migraine headaches are
treated with drugs that can either prevent attacks or relieve
symptoms when attacks occur. Some people try to prevent migraines by
eliminating foods that appear to trigger the attacks. Traction
headaches caused by brain tumors may require surgery to remove the
source of pressure. Inflammatory headaches, such as those caused by
arteritis and meningitis, are treated with corticosteroids to reduce
tissue swelling.
What is the prognosis?
Not all headaches require
medical attention. About 90 percent of all headaches resolve on
their own, or with the aid of over-the-counter painkillers. The
recent development of drugs to treat migraine headaches has helped
many people cope more successfully with the pain of migraine. Some
types of headache are signals of more serious disorders and call for
medical attention. These include sudden/severe headache, headache
with convulsions, headache with confusion or loss of consciousness,
headache after a blow to the head, headache associated with pain in
the eye or ear, persistent headaches in adults, recurring headaches
in children, and headaches associated with fever.
What research is being done?
Understanding why headaches
occur and improving headache treatment is the goal of research
sponsored by the NINDS and NIH. NINDS also supports and
conducts studies to improve the diagnosis of headaches and to find
ways to prevent them. Recent research using an experimental
technique called thermography, in which an infrared camera converts
skin temperature into a color picture (thermogram) coded according
to temperature level, showed that headache patients have strikingly
different heat patterns from those of people who never or rarely get
headaches. Another study looked at the best ways to use
progressive muscle relaxation techniques and biofeedback to ease the
pain of migraine and tension headaches.
Organizations
American Council for Headache
Education
19 Mantua Road
Mt. Royal, NJ
08061
achehq@talley.com
http://www.achenet.org/
Tel:
856-423-0258 800-255-ACHE (255-2243)
Fax:
856-423-0082
National Headache Foundation
820 N.
Orleans
Suite 217
Chicago, IL 60610-3132
info@headaches.org
http://www.headaches.org/
Tel:
773-388-6399 888-NHF-5552 (643-5552)
Fax:
773-525-7357
Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public
Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information
purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or
an official position of the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the
treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained
through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient
or is familiar with that patient's medical history.
Last updated December 03, 2004
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