Today, our scientific referent describes the headache, this familiar unknown.
Headache is a pain involving the head, including the total and the scalp. There are many different types that differ in terms of presentation, location, duration, intensity, etc. And in the same way there are different classification systems
In one of the most common systems, the NIH, the division takes into account two main groups: the primary and the secondary.
Primary headaches are those types linked to an idiopathic disorder, that is, not related to other pathologies.
The most frequent are cluster headaches, tension-type headaches andmigraine. In this type of headache it is not always possible to find a specific cause. They are usually the result of the interaction of various factors such as incorrect lifestyle habits, physical and emotional stress, the consumption of certain foods, incorrect postures, temperature variations and alterations in the sleep-wake rhythm.
In secondary headaches, on the other hand, the headache originates in a well-defined organic pathology, which concerns both the anatomical structures of the head (skull, brain and nerve endings, vascularization), and pathologies involving other organs or traumas.
Headache, this unfamiliar familiar. Symptoms
Headache essentially manifests itself as a pain in the head.
Painful crises can be episodic or chronic; in the first case they are sporadic, while when they become chronic the frequency of occurrence is high (they occur for at least 15 days a month). In some cases, the pain is modest and easily resolved with the adoption of small measures. Sometimes, however, the crises can be particularly strong and disabling.
Tension headache presents with persistent pain, but generally mild and bilateral (affects both the right and the left side). It manifests itself with a constricting sense localized in the occipital or frontal region. In some cases, however, the symptom is widespread throughout the head, giving rise to the so-called “circle” in the head. Attacks often begin in the late morning or early afternoon. Tension headache does not affect normal daily activities.
Sometimes, the pain is accompanied by dizziness, stiffness in the back of the neck and anxious manifestations; on the other hand, it is rarely associated with nausea, vomiting, discomfort with light or noise.
Migraine is often unilateral (affects only one half of the head), initially involving the frontal region above the eye, then also the forehead and temple. It manifests itself with recurrent attacks that can last a few hours or, in severe cases, a few days. The pain is intense and throbbing, similar to a pounding that seems to pop the head. Occasionally, the attack may be preceded and accompanied by a series of reversible neurological symptoms, which constitute the so-called “aura”: glare, geometrically shaped sparkling flashes (scotomas), darkening or clouding of the visual field and, in some cases , difficulty expressing yourself, tingling and numbness in one extremity.
Cluster headache presents with unilateral, very painful and close attacks (occurring at fairly short intervals of time). The pain, in this case, is of the stabbing and stabbing type, localized around the eye and cheekbone, with possible radiation to the temple, jaw, nose or chin.
In some cases, the entire side of the skull is affected by pain.
These episodes are associated with other well-defined symptoms: drooping of the eyelid, tearing, irritation of the conjunctiva and flushing of the face. In addition, a state of agitation may be associated with it. Unlike migraines, it almost never accompanies nausea or vomiting and, in particular, never associates with the aura.
As for secondary headaches, some characteristics of head pain depend on the cause. In addition to headache, for example, symptoms such as fever and vomiting (infections), rhinorrhea (sinusitis), neurological deficits (encephalitis, tumor or other lesion with a mass effect), syncope (subarachnoid haemorrhage), irritation of the conjunctiva and others may appear. visual disturbances (glaucoma or intracranial hypertension).
