Headaches are a prevalent ailment that most individuals will encounter multiple times throughout their lifetime. The primary indication of a headache is discomfort in the head or face region. Tension headaches are the most frequently occurring type among several other kinds. Although most headaches are not hazardous, some types can indicate a severe underlying condition.

SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES

What is the main cause of a headache?

Headache pain results from signals interacting among your brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves. During a headache, multiple mechanisms activate specific nerves that affect muscles and blood vessels. These nerves send pain signals to your brain, causing a headache.

Are headaches hereditary?

Headaches tend to run in families, especially migraines. Children who have migraines usually have at least one biological parent who also experiences them. In fact, kids whose parents have migraines are up to four times more likely to develop them.

Headaches can also be triggered by environmental factors shared in a family’s household, such as:

  • Eating certain foods or ingredients, like caffeine, alcohol, fermented foods, chocolate and cheese.
  • Exposure to allergens.
  • Secondhand smoke.
  • Strong odors from household chemicals or perfumes.

What headache symptoms require immediate medical care?

If you or your child has any of these headache symptoms, get medical care right away:

  • A sudden, new and severe headache.
  • Headache with a fever, shortness of breath, stiff neck or rash
  • Getting a new type of headache after age 55.

Also seek medical care right away if your headache is associated with neurological symptoms, such as:

  • Weakness.
  • Dizziness.
  • Sudden loss of balance or falling.
  • Numbness or tingling.
  • Paralysis.
  • Speech difficulties.
  • Mental confusion.
  • Seizures.
  • Personality changes/inappropriate behavior.
  • Vision changes (blurry vision, double vision or blind spots).

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTS

How are headaches evaluated and diagnosed?

If you have headaches often or if they’re very severe, reach out to your healthcare provider.

It’s important to diagnose headaches correctly so your provider can prescribe specific therapy to help you feel better. Your provider will complete a physical examination, discuss your medical history and talk to you about your headache symptoms. This conversation is part of a headache evaluation.

During the headache evaluation, your provider will ask you about your headache history, including:

  • What the headaches feel like.
  • How often the headaches happen.
  • How long the headaches last each time.
  • How much pain the headaches cause you.
  • What foods, drinks or events trigger your headaches.
  • How much caffeine you drink each day.
  • What your stress level is.
  • What your sleep habits are like.

Your headache can be more accurately diagnosed by knowing:

  • When the headache started.
  • Whether there’s a single type of headache or multiple types of headaches.
  • If physical activity aggravates the headache pain.
  • Who else in your family has headaches.
  • What symptoms, if any, occur between headaches.

After completing the medical history part of the evaluation, your provider may perform physical and neurological examinations. They’ll look for signs and symptoms of an illness or condition that may be causing the headache, including:

  • Fever.
  • Infection.
  • High blood pressure.
  • Muscle weakness, numbness or tingling.
  • Excessive fatigue.
  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Balance problems and frequent falls.
  • Vision problems (blurry vision, double vision, blind spots).
  • Mental confusion or personality changes.
  • Seizures.
  • Dizziness.
  • Nausea and vomiting.

Neurological tests focus on ruling out diseases that might also cause headaches. A disorder of your central nervous system might be suspected in the development of serious headaches.

After evaluating the results of your headache history, physical examination and neurological examination, your physician should be able to determine what type of headache you have, whether or not a serious problem is present and whether additional tests are needed.

If they’re unsure of the cause, they may refer you to a headache specialist.

What tests will be done to diagnose headaches?

Although scans and other imagining tests can be important when ruling out other diseases, they don’t help in diagnosing migraines, cluster or tension-type headaches.

But if your healthcare provider thinks that your headaches are being caused by another medical condition, there are several imaging tests they may order.

CT Scan or MRI can help determine if your headaches are connected to an issue with your central nervous system. Both of these tests produce cross-sectional images of your brain that can show any abnormal areas or problems.