About 15% of women and 6% of men suffer from migraine, a condition in which spasms of one and excessive expansion of other cerebral arteries lead to a strong unilateral headache. Migraine is one of the most important causes of temporary disability. There are several causes and types of headaches. Headache can be associated, for example, with a viral infection. What are the causes of frequent headaches?
Diagnostics
With the aim of diagnosing the doctor, the doctor explains in detail the nature of the headache, in particular the time of the onset, the exact localization, intensity, duration and overall well-being of the patient.
Classification
The most significant types of headache:
- Tension headache. This is the most common type of mild to moderate diffuse headache. A person experiences the feeling of a tightening hoop on his head. Such pain can last several days and intensify during the day.
- Cluster (bundle) headache. More often observed in men. This is a strong one-sided pain of paroxysmal nature. It lasts 20-60 minutes and can be seasonal. Often accompanied by lacrimation and reddening of the eyes, as well as nasal congestion. A person can wake up from her several times a night.
- Chronic daily headache (lasting more than two weeks in each month). It can be associated with excessive intake of caffeine-containing drugs.
- Migraine. It begins as an attack, lasting 4-72 hours. A migraine attack is often preceded by an aura (a complex of neurologic symptoms). Moderate or severe unilateral pain may be accompanied by nausea. Possible worsening of symptoms in bright light, noise and simple actions.
Serious states
With the constant nature of headaches, people begin to assume the presence of any serious disease, such as a brain tumor or hemorrhage. Possible signs of these conditions can be:
- vomiting that does not relieve the headache;
- neurological symptoms (including convulsions).
Other features that should be addressed include:
- constant headaches in the child;
- pain when touching the temporal region, which may be a symptom of temporal arteritis (inflammation of the temporal artery). This disease is treated with corticosteroids. In most cases, people cope with the headache themselves. They know what is its cause and what should be done to prevent it, and also have a medicine that helps them, and rarely consult a doctor. The most commonly used drugs are acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Combined drugs containing codeine are more expensive and, when abused, can cause chronic daily headaches. Prevention of headaches includes lifestyle correction:
- diet compliance;
- diet;
- adequate sleep and wakefulness;
- reduction of stress.
Anesthetics
Headaches may not respond to analgesics, such as acetaminophen, especially in the changing nature of pain. In such cases, the doctor prescribes: domperidone - to reduce nausea; amitritiline is an antidepressant, often used for headaches of tension; sodium valproate - antiepileptic agent, which is also used for stress pain. Antimigraine drugs include: ergotamine, a 5HT receptor agonist, is recommended for use in patients with ischemic heart disease and hypertension. For treatment of bundle headaches, prescribe: receptor agonists in the form of a spray or injections; oral corticoids - daily intake for two weeks will help with beam headache.
Other types of treatment
Traditional therapies, such as osteopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage and homeopathy, are very popular with those suffering from headaches. If migraine attacks are associated with the menstrual cycle (14% of women suffer from migraine during menstruation), hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be recommended. However, hormone therapy, whether oral contraceptives or HRT, should be used by those who suffer from migraine, with great caution, because they are more prone to stroke, especially if there is this disease in the family. Give any predictions of suffering chronic headaches is very difficult. The positive point is that the symptoms almost always manage to get lazy, but the headache can appear again and again. Migraine can torment a person for 20 lay or more. Women are at higher risk of headaches at certain periods of life, particularly during puberty, during pregnancy and in menopause. With frequent migraine attacks, inadequate response to therapy and the impact of pain on lifestyle, it is possible to prescribe drugs on an ongoing basis to reduce the frequency of attacks. For this purpose, propranolol, atenolol and pisotifen are used. Approximately half of the patients taking these drugs experience significant improvement. To reduce the frequency of bunches headaches helps the calcium channel blocker verapamil.