User:Mr. Ibrahem/Headache
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Headache is the symptom of pain in the face or head.[1] If they occur recurrently it is known as a headache disorder.[2] Frequent headaches can affect relationships and employment.[2] There is also an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches.[2]
Headache | |
---|---|
Other names | Cephalalgia, headache disorder |
Person with a headache | |
Specialty | Neurology |
Symptoms | Pain in the face or head[1] |
Types | Primary, secondary[2] |
Causes | Primary: Migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache[2] Secondary: Medication overuse headache, subarachnoid bleeding, meningitis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, vertebral dissection, glaucoma, sinusitis, temporal arteritis, brain tumors, carbon monoxide poisoning, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, eclampsia[1] |
Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms, potentially supported by medical imaging or lumbar puncture[1] |
Frequency | ~50% of people each year[2] |
Headaches can occur either primarily or as a result of an underlying issue.[2] Primary headaches include migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache.[2] Secondary headaches include medication overuse headache, subarachnoid bleeding, meningitis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, vertebral dissection, glaucoma, sinusitis, temporal arteritis, brain tumors, carbon monoxide poisoning, eclampsia, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.[1] Diagnosis is typically based on symptoms and potential supported by medical imaging or lumbar puncture.[1]
Treatment of a headache depends on the underlying cause, but commonly involves pain medication.[1] Opiates generally are not recommended.[1] Most (96%) of headaches are not life threatening.[1]
About half of adults have a headache in a given year and up to 4% have headaches more than half the days in a month.[2] Tension headaches are the most common, affecting about 1.6 billion people (21.8% of the population) followed by migraine headaches which affect about 848 million (11.7%).[3] Headaches are most common in people 25 to 40 years old.[1]