Headaches Cause and Effect

Randolph Schiffer, MD. and Fiona Prabhu, M.D.

By Kristen Hackney-Redman | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Thursday, April 24, 2008

A headache can be as mild as a minor annoyance or as severe as an excruciating, debilitating pain. While the vast majority of headaches are not signs of a serious condition, the pain is still real and bothersome to people who suffer from chronic headaches.

Randolph Schiffer, M.D., a neuropsychiatrist at Texas Tech Physicians, and Fiona Prabhu, M.D., a family medicine physician at Texas Tech Physicians, answer common questions about headaches:

Q: What are the most common types of headaches?

A: Schiffer and Prabhu said the most common types of headaches are tension, migraine and cluster.

Tension headaches feel like a tightening sensation around the head and are not specific to one side. Schiffer said tension headaches are a steady, constant pain that are often caused by stress or tension. According to the National Headache Foundation, about 78 percent of people have experienced a tension headache.

A migraine headache is a pulsating, throbbing sensation on one side of the head that tends to be disabling, said Prabhu. Typically, they last from four to 72 hours, she said. A migraine can include nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light or sound, said Prabhu.

Migraines are more common among women than men, said Prabhu. An estimated 5 to 10 percent of people suffer from migraines, according to Schiffer.

A cluster headache is described as a severe headache that feels like being stabbed with an ice pick, Prabhu said. They are not common - less than one quarter of one percent of people experience cluster headaches - but they are more common among men, said Prabhu.

Q: When should I worry about a headache - that is, when is a headache a sign of something more serious?

A: Rarely is a headache a sign of a serious problem, said Schiffer and Prabhu. However, if it is "the worst headache of your life," and it comes on suddenly, you should seek immediate medical attention. A headache that is new or changed - that is, you haven't experienced one quite like it, and the headache changes - also demands immediate medical attention. Major changes in behavior, fever, chills and weight loss that accompany a headache are signs that a person should seek immediate medical attention as well.

"If it's the first headache you've ever had and it is severe enough to where you can't function, it's probably a good idea to have it checked," Prabhu said.

"Anyone whose headaches interfere with work or social life, probably should go to the doctor," Schiffer said.

Q: Is a headache a sign of a brain tumor?

Probably not, said Schiffer. A brain tumor will not typically cause a headache until the later stages, and other signs will tip off someone that something isn't right far in advance of a headache, he said. Those signs include seizure, weak hands or a numb leg, Schiffer said. Prabhu said another sign of a brain tumor is vomiting in the morning. Moreover, if a headache were to be a sign of a brain tumor, the headache would become increasingly severe over time - not occur suddenly and severely.

Q: What can be done to treat headaches?

A: Schiffer said we tend to look for a pill to cure our ailments, but no such pill exists for headaches. He cautions against using over-the-counter pain relievers to treat headaches because someone can become habituated to them. Prabhu said when someone becomes habituated to pain relievers,

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