Different Types Of Headaches

Headaches are classified as either primary or secondary. For primary headaches, the headache pain itself is the illness. In contrast, for secondary headaches, the headache pain is secondary to, and a symptom of, some underlying illness. Listed below are some of the different types of headaches.

Primary Headaches:

• Hunger Headaches - Normally occur just before mealtime and are caused by muscle tension, low blood sugar, and rebound dilation of the blood vessels and oversleeping or missing a meal. Usually associated with over zealous dieting or missing meals.
• Tension Type Headaches - Often described as a dull, non-throbbing pain and frequently bilateral. It's said the degree of severity remains constant mainly because it's caused by emotional stress and depression. A tension headache may also cause pain in the back of your neck at the base of your skull and tightness of the scalp.
• Migraine with Aura - Unlike migraine without aura, it involves very specific warning signs which are evident anywhere from ten to thirty minutes before the onset of a migraine attack. The symptoms are usually visual in nature, such as an bright zig-zag lines or a blinding out of vision or both.

  The pain is often very intense and can last up to 2 days. Where the pain lasts more than 72 hrs, hospitalization is often recommended. Besides visual disturbances, a numbness in the arm or leg and altered consciousness are characteristics of such headaches.

• Migraine without Aura - Does not have the same warning signs as a migraine with aura and also starts more slowly than a classic migraine with aura. Symptoms include generalized head pain, fatigue, mental confusion, nausea, vomiting, cold hands, sensitivity to sound and light. Causes include certain foods, the Pill or menopausal hormones, changes in weather, bright lights, smoking too much, and stress.
• Cluster Headaches - With all the different types of headaches, cluster headaches are uncommon and tend to affect men (rather than women) between the age of 20 – 50. Attacks can occur every day for weeks, then disappear for up to a year. Symptoms include excruciating pain in the vicinity of the eyes, tearing of the eyes, nose congestion and flushing of face. Causes include alcoholic beverages and excessive smoking.
• Exertion Headaches - 90% are related to different types of headaches such as migraine or cluster headaches while 10% are caused by such as tumors or malformed blood vessels. A generalized head pain of short duration (minutes to 1 hour) is often experienced and usually follows, or can be during, any form of physical activity such as running, sneezing, coughing or even sexual intercourse.

Secondary Headaches:

• Allergy Headaches - Generalized headache with symptoms such as nasal congestion, and watery eyes. Normally associated with seasonal allergens, such as pollen, molds, etc. Allergies to food are not usually a factor.
• Sinus Headaches - Gnawing pain over the nasal area, often increasing in severity throughout the day. Unlike some of the other different types of headaches, sinus headaches are rare in nature. Causes are acute infection, usually with fever, producing blockage of sinus ducts and preventing normal drainage. Their origin is thought to be in infection or deformities such as a deviated septum which can block the sinus ducts.
• Hypertension Headaches - Hypertension headaches are a generalized or "hairband" type pain, most severe in the morning and tending to diminish throughout day. Often experienced by individuals with severe hypertension: over 200 systolic and 110 diastolic.
• Menstrual Headaches - Some women may experience a migraine-type pain shortly before, during, or immediately after menstruation or at mid-cycle (at time of ovulation). Its believed to be caused by variances in estrogen levels.
• Tumor Headache - When compared to the other different types of headaches, tumor headaches are extremely rare because brain tumours are usually large enough to either distort the blood vessels at the base of the brain or block the circulation of the CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid) before they cause headache at all. Where they occur, pain progressively worsens and symptoms include projectile vomiting, possible visual disturbances speech or personality changes; problems with equilibrium, gait, or coordination and sometimes seizures.
• Arthritis Headaches - Headaches can occur occasionally as a result of osteoarthritis in the neck or inflammation of the blood vessels of the head . Pain intensifies with every movement of the head.
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Headaches - Some people may get muscle tension and pain related to a disorder of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), the joint just in front of each ear, where your jaw bone connects to your skull. Usually caused by a poor bite action, stress, or clenching of the jaws.

With causes ranging from simple over exertion of the body to life threatening brain tumors, the list of the different types of headaches is long. It can't be stressed enough just how important it is that you consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about any of the different types of headaches mentioned above.

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