Self Help

If you are experiencing recurrent headaches, talk to your doctor immediately to determine the correct diagnosis and to rule out any potentially life-threatening cause of headache, such as the ones that are described below.

1. Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: This is usually caused by a rupture of a brain aneurysm, which is a weakening of a blood vessel in the brain. The headache comes on very suddenly and is usually the most severe pain of all headaches.

2. Temporal Arteritis: This is a rare cause of headache that almost always occurs after the age of fifty and is usually associated with tenderness over the temporal arteries, which are located in the temples.

3. Brain Tumor: The headache of a tumor is usually associated with focal neurological symptoms such as weakness of an arm or a leg, or problems with vision, coordination, speech, or memory. It can often awaken you at night, and is frequently worse upon awakening and with straining at a bowel movement, coughing, or sneezing.

4. Stroke: The headache is usually mild and associated with focal neurologic symptoms similar to the ones seen with brain tumors.

5. Meningitis: This is a life-threatening infection of the covering of the brain (meninges). The three major symptoms are headache, fever, and a stiff neck. The correct diagnosis has to be made immediately and is best done with a lumbar puncture (”spinal tap”) probing for evidence of bacterial infection. Once the diagnosis is made, high-dose antibiotics are given.

6. Acute Sinusitis: This is a headache caused by an infection of the sinuses and is associated with thick green or yellow postnasal or nasal mucus discharge or tenderness over the infected sinus.

7. Glaucoma: A rare cause of headache, this is a result of elevated eye pressure. Everyone over the age of forty should have their pressures checked, especially if there is a family history of glaucoma.

8. Eyestrain: This is a type of tension headache located behind the eyes that usually occurs after reading. A change in eye corrective lenses can cure this headache.

9. Post-traumatic: A headache can often occur after an accident that injures the neck, as in a whiplash injury incurred in a car accident. There may not be any associated injury to the head. This headache usually comes on hours or a few days after the accident. It usually improves after several days to weeks, but sometimes can become chronic and last for months to years. The headache can have qualities of both tension and migraine and is often associated with neck and shoulder pain and stiffness. There may also be other associated debilitating symptoms, such as poor concentration, decreased ability to think about complex concepts, dizziness, depression, mood changes, decreased libido, insomnia, memory impairment, feelings of anger and frustration, lack of motivation, and irritability.