Headaches
Headaches are one of the most common health complaints, with pain presenting in different ways.
Overview
Headaches are one of the most common health complaints, with pain presenting in different ways. A distinction is made between two kinds of headache, i.e. primary headaches and secondary headaches. A primary headache isn't caused by another disease, while a secondary headache can be caused by an accident or another disease.
Symptoms
Primary headache
Tension headache
- Frequency: occasionally to daily
- Location: occurs on both sides of the head and affects specific regions, such as the forehead, temples or skull
- Intensity: slight to medium
Migraine
- Duration: 4 - 72 hours
- Frequency: occasionally to several times a month
- Location: one-sided 60% of the time
- Character: pulsing, nagging, pounding
- Intensity: medium to severe
- Accompanying symptoms: nausea/vomiting, sensitivity to light and noise
Cluster headache
- Duration: 30 - 180 minutes
- Frequency: several times a day, then disappears for several months
- Location: strictly one-sided, behind the eye
- Character: stabbing
- Intensity: severe pain that worsens rapidly
- Accompanying symptoms: eye waters, turns red and swells up, nose is blocked or running, sweat on forehead
Secondary headache
Varies according to the disease or type of accident
- Character: pulsing, dull, stabbing, pounding, nagging or throbbing
- Location
- Affects one or both sides of the head
- Forehead or neck, radiating
- Affects all of one side of the face
- Worsened by movement, cold or food
- Accompanying symptoms
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness and fainting
- Fatigue and reduced concentration
- Visual disturbances and hearing problems
- Speech disturbances
- Paralysis
Causes and treatment
Causes (excerpt)
Primary headache
- Stress
- Hormone fluctuations
- Dehydration
- Lack of sleep
- Lack of fresh air, overheated rooms
- Poor posture, muscle tension
- Smoking, alcohol
- Painkillers
- Changes in the weather
Secondary headache
- Musculoskeletal diseases
- Cold and flu
- Sinusitis, meningitis
- Diseases of the ear, nose and throat
- Cardiovascular diseases (e.g. high blood pressure, arrhythmia)
- Stroke, seizure, brain tumours
- Allergies, inhalation of fumes (chlorine, solvents, dyes)
- After an accident (immediately or with a delay)
Further treatment by your doctor / in hospital
Possible tests
Different tests, depending on the symptoms and suspicions
- Physical examination
- Blood test
- Blood pressure
- Measurement of brain waves (EEG)
- Imaging procedures
- Ultrasound of the organs of the throat and blood vessels
- Examination of cerebral blood vessels using a contrast agent (angiography)
- X-ray of head and spine
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
- CT scan (computed tomography)
Possible therapies:
- Painkillers
- Reduction of light and noise
- Other treatment by a specialist, depending on the cause of the underlying disease
What can I do myself?
- Make enough time for sleeping and relaxation
- Sufficient fluid intake (> 2 litres/day)
- Balanced wholefood diet
- No alcohol or cigarettes
- Keep a pain diary (type of pain, duration, intensity)
- Sufficient exercise and sport
- Relaxation and reduction of stress
- Avoid regular use of painkillers
- Risk of medication-induced headache
- Long-term side effects
- Household remedies
- Lightly massage the temples (lavender or peppermint oil)
- Put fresh lemon slices on the painful area
- Lavender tea
- Sufficient fresh air when sleeping
When to see a doctor?
- Unexplained sleepiness
- Person doesn't react when spoken to
- Sudden onset of extremely severe headache
- Speech disturbances and problem finding words (anomia)
- Dizziness, hearing problems and visual disturbances
- Disorientation, gaps in memory
- Signs of paralysis
- Seizure
- Stiff neck
- High fever and chills
- Vomiting
- Condition worsens after an accident involving a blow to the head
- Headaches affecting children (must be taken seriously)
Further information
In conjunction with the TopPharm pharmacies, CSS offers a pain assessment and advice programme. This should help to improve your quality of life.
Synonyms
headaches, headache, sore head, cephalgia, migraine, tension headache, cluster headache
Exclusion of liability
CSS offers no guarantee for the accuracy and completeness of the information. The information published is no substitute for professional advice from a doctor or pharmacist.