Headache Know Its Causes

A terrible splitting headache is dealt with a quick steaming hot beverage or a head massage - Does it sound familiar?! Haven't we craved for some instant remedies to fight this atrocious condition which apparently is a silent indicator to stress and tension that we often neglect! Long working hours on laptop, blooming gadget addiction and chasing work-life balance are the very part of our lives, that question our brain's capability. Headache, being an ancient most common condition, affects 90% of the world's population at least once in a lifetime; thus the responsibility of knowing and understanding the vast classifications and causes regarding headaches is upon us.

A COMMON UNCOMMON AILMENT
Although common, it is an unbearably painful condition that can last from 30 minutes upto a week. Headache originates, as nociceptors (the pain-sensitive receptors) react to stressful conditions, certain foods or medications which trigger the ache by relaying messages through the trigeminal nerve (a cranial nerve) to the thalamus (the relay station for pain sensation) which also controls the body's sensitivity to light and noise and manages awareness of pain and emotional response. In some cases, headache most unceremoniously is accompanied with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, concentration lapse and other neurological symptoms that involve other brain centers too.

Based on the characteristics of pain, the region affected with pain and the underlying causes for headache, The International Classification of Headache Disorders (CHD) widely classifies headaches into Primary, Secondary and other headaches (Neuralgia).

PRIMARY HEADACHE
Brain by itself cannot feel pain as it lacks nociceptors, and thus headache is not brain hurting; but the areas in head and neck do have nociceptors which can perceive pain. Hence, overactivity of these structures, chemical changes in the brain affecting Blood vessels, muscles and nerves lead to "Primary" headache. These type of headaches occur for no obvious reason, termed as 'Idiopathic' headaches; hence, to our dismay underlying problems, neurological examinations and imaging tests fail to

PRIMARY HEADACHE

1. Migraine
Causes & risk factors
Genetic, environmental factors
Symptoms and location
Pain in the temples, behind one eye or ear, temporary vision loss

2. Cluster
Causes & risk factors
Abnormalities in hypothalamus
Symptoms and location
Occurs on one side of the head, watery eye, runny nose, nasal congestion
Causes & risk factors
Sinus congestion, respiratory infection
Symptoms and location
Facial pressure, pain behind browbone or cheekbone, sinus ache, fever, stuffy nose

3. Tension
Causes & risk factors
Stress and anxiety, tiredness, dehydration, skipping meals, etc.
Symptoms and location
Occurs on forehead, temples and
back of the neck

4. Stabbing
Causes & risk factors
Unknown, in most cases accom-panied with migraine
Symptoms and location
Short-lasting, of recurrent episodes "ice pick pain

5. Cough
Causes & risk factors
Straining (activities that increase pressure in the head), bowel movement
Symptoms and location
Sudden start of headache after coughing, sneezing or straining, lasts for few seconds, bilateral pain

6. Exertional
Causes & risk factors
Strenuous workout or exercise
Symptoms and location
Throbbing, pulsating bilateral pain, starts during or after strenuous exercise

7. Sexual
Causes & risk factors
Sexual activities
Symptoms and location
Dull bilateral pain, starts during sexual activity and worsens during orgasm

8. Hypnic
Causes & risk factors
Sleep induced headache
Symptoms and location
Starts after few hours into sleep, varies from moderate to severe; most often noticed in older women

SECONDARY HEADACHE

Some headaches are symptoms of other conditions that stimulate the pain-sensitive nerves in the head region. It is essential to detect if the headache gets more painful and disruptive than the previous one, as ignoring the signs could be life-threatening. The severity of these headaches varies with the causes, ranging from alcohol-induced hangover, blood clots, brain freeze, concussions, panic attacks, strokes to brain tumour and many more. It becomes crucial to urgently diagnose the underlying condition so as to resolve these headaches with the

1. Meningitis
Causes & risk factors
Viral, bacterial or fungal infection
Symptoms and location
Inflammation of meninges, head ache with nausea

2. Aneurysm
Causes & risk factors
Family history of aneurysm; High blood pressure, Smoking, etc.
Symptoms and location
Ruptured artery causes hemorrhage, severe headache, blurred vision, neck pain, change in speech

3. Intracranial hemorrhage
Causes & risk factors
Head trauma, injury
Symptoms and location
Ruptured blood vessels within the skull cause severe head injury

4. Temporal arteritis
Causes & risk factors
Linked to autoimmune response
Symptoms and location
Inflammation of temporal arteries affected vision, throbbing head ache in the temples

5. Glaucoma
Causes & risk factors
Severe eye infection, chemical injury, inflammatory conditions of the eye
Symptoms and location
Damaged optic nerve, loss of eye redness, tunnel vision nausea or vomiting

6. Brain tumuor
Causes & risk factors
Family history, genetic condition exposure to radiation
Symptoms and location
More frequent and severe head aches, blurred vision, nausea

Most often headache results into self medication, where we become our own physician and without much of ado pop-up a tablet to alleviate the pain; in some scenarios it effectively relieves the pain, while in others deteriorates the health! Neglected recurrent headaches or its underlying symptoms demand our constant vigilance to attain mental health. After all mental and physical exertion is what fiercely truncates the brain efficiency, something which is unaffordable. Give your brain a break so that it achieves a clutter-free life, taking a step towards brain stability and healthy living!

Knowledge about headache is a step towards dealing with its pain..