Headaches

Headaches are universal

• Studies show 76 percent of women and 57 percent of men report at least one significant headache per month.
• In the United States, an estimated 60 million to 80 million people experience recurring headaches.
• By age 6, 31 percent of children have reported headaches; by age 15, this number soars to 70 percent.
• Only 30 percent of people with recurring headaches seek help, in many cases due to fear of being accused of “faking” the headache or being thought mentally ill.

Headaches are costly

• More than 1 million days of school and 160 million days of work are lost per year due to headaches.
• Headaches result in an estimated $30 billion in medical expenses each year.

Headaches can be caused by many illnesses. There are several types of headaches, including migraine, tension, and cluster headaches. Headaches can also result from sinusitis, trigeminal neuralgia, giant cell arteritis, or brain tumors. The treatment of the various kinds of headaches varies depending on the kind of headache and the severity of the pain. Often, non-opioid medicines are used. But, in some cases, opioid therapy is needed.

Migraines are often on one side of the head. They can be associated with nausea and vomiting, photophobia (light hurting the eyes), phonophobia (sound hurting the ears), and scintillating scotomata (parallel lines that vibrate at the edges of objects, especially at the borders between light and dark places). Sometimes these auras appear before the headache starts and alert you that a migraine is coming. Migraine pain can vary in intensity from mild to severe. There are many specific medications for migraine. Sumatriptan (Imitrex) is particularly useful for some, but not all, migraine sufferers.

Cluster headaches come in groups, sometimes several times a day, lasting for days to weeks. Many cluster headaches are severely painful. Oxygen therapy may be helpful for some cluster headaches.

Sinusitis can cause facial pain and is frequently worse in the morning. Sinus pain may respond to antibiotic treatment along with decongestants. Sometimes sinus surgery is needed.

Trigeminal neuralgia is actually a peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain) that is severe. It occurs on one side of the head and face and has a “trigger point,” usually on the side of the face, which causes intense pain if it is touched. Anticonvulsants (antiseizure medicine) are often helpful for this type of pain.

There are more headache articles in http://www.usadruglist.org/Headache/index.html.

Tags: Cluster Headache, Headache, Migraine, Tension-type Headache