Are you having headache everyday or frequently? Is it related to stress, any food, coughing, bending or any other factor? Is it associated with vomiting, vomiting tendency, disturbance of vision, weakness of any limb or anything else? Which area of your head is affected?

It often comes as a surprise to the general public that there are many varieties of headache. Too many, a headache is a headache, and that is what. In today's stressful world, headache is a very common symptom experienced by General population. Most of the patients tend to ignore headache as a minor problem until it becomes severe. Are you one of them?

Headache is defined as pain in the head or upper neck. Headache is caused by traction of the structures inside the brain, dilatation of the blood vessels inside the brain, any inflammation, nerves, contraction of muscles of the head and neck, diseases of Eye/ENT/Teeth etc. In 2004 International Headache Society (IHS) updated the headache classification. This new classification system allows health care practitioners to understand a specific diagnosis more completely to provide better and more effective treatment regimens. Migraine, Tension headache, cluster headache etc. are primary headaches. Primary headaches affect quality of life. Some people have occasional headaches that resolve quickly, while others are debilitated. Primary headaches are not life-threatening. Most of the headaches can be treated or at least controlled by medicine. Newer treatment like BOTOX injection for migraine is highly successful.

What sort of symptoms does a migraine patient experience? Commonly, it is on one side of head, pulsating quality, moderate to severe in intensity, lasts for 4 to 72 hrs if untreated and aggravated by exertion. Vomiting tendency or vomiting, inability to tolerate bright light or loud sound also accompanies. Headache may start after taking some specific food. After few attacks of Migraine, patients usually recognize the indications of an impending attack nearly 24 hrs earlier than the actual attack. Current treatments are aimed at preventing an attack during the warning hours or abort an ongoing attack as soon as possible.

Tension headache may be defined as a constant tight or pressing sensation, usually on both sides of the head that may initially be episodic and related to stress but that can recur almost daily in its chronic form. Patient may awaken with the headache or notices it shortly after getting up and it remains throughout the day.
Headache may be secondary also. Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying structural problem in the head or neck. There are numerous causes of this type of headache ranging from bleeding in the brain, brain tumor, meningitis, encephalitis, and sinusitis, disturbances of vision or metabolic disorders.

Whatever may be the cause, headache needs prompt medical attention. When necessary, thorough evaluation to be done to rule out all the secondary causes which may be life threatening.

Face pain can develop in several conditions. Trigeminal neuralgia is one common disease which commonly causes pain of cheek or chin. The pain is sudden, intense and stabbing in quality, lasting only for seconds but often recur repeatedly. The pain may recur daily for weeks or months and then remit for a period of time, even for years, before returning. Drug treatment usually decreases the pain, but for better and long lasting relief the pain producing nerve can be destroyed.

In Herpes Zoster, burning pain often precedes the onset of rash. Post Herpetic neuralgia has been defined as pain persisting 3 months or more after onset of rash. Post-herpetic neuralgia commonly effects uppermost part of face but may affect other parts of face, chest or abdomen.
There are several other neuralgias (neuralgia means nerve pain). Diseases remain same but treatment has changed a lot in recent days which provides much better relief.
By:
Dr. Chinmoy Roy, MD
Consultant, Shija Pain Clinic
Shija Hospitals and Research Institute