A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head and or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck.[1] The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the pain-sensitive structures around the brain. Several areas of the head and neck have these pain-sensitive structures, which are divided in two categories: within the cranium (blood vessels, meninges, and the cranial nerves) and outside the cranium (the periosteum of the skull, muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissues, eyes, ears, sinuses and mucous membranes).
How are headaches classified ?
Headaches have numerous causes, and in 2007 the International Headache Society agreed upon an updated classification system for headache. Because so many people suffer from headaches, and because treatment is sometimes difficult, the new classification system allows health care practitioners to understand a specific diagnosis more completely to provide better and more effective treatment regimens.
Symptoms in India
Following are the signs that indicate the presence of this ailment : –
- Headache can be mild, moderate or severe pain that affects the whole head, a part of the head, forehead or the eyes.
- Nausea
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Loss of appetite
- Feeling of uneasiness
- primary headaches,
- secondary headaches, and
- cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches
These types of headaches are easy to find and treat. There are some headaches where the cause is somewhat elusive to diagnose immediately. Cluster headaches are one type of headache where the cause is a little difficult to state immediately. Cluster headaches are headaches that cause a sharp and very painful headache to the individual.
Now even though these headaches occur at least several times a day and last for some months they are less commonly occurring than that of migraine or tension headaches. A tension headache on the other hand is more often experienced by people.
Some times the cause of headaches like this may be attributed to feelings of hunger or dehydration. The other causes can be muscle contractions in the shoulders, the neck area, scalp and the jaw. Stress, depression and anxiety can also be regarded as being the cause of headaches.
Headaches can have many causes, but serious causes of headaches are rare. Sometimes headaches warn of a more serious disorder. Let your health care provider know if you have sudden, severe headaches. Get medical help right away if you have a headache after a blow to your head, or if you have a headache along with a stiff neck, fever, confusion, loss of consciousness or pain in the eye or ear.
