588Headache — Hope Through Research
Why Does it Hurt?
What hurts when you have a headache? The bones of skull and tissues of brain itself never hurt, because they lack pain-sensitive nerve fibers. Several areas of head can hurt, including a network of nerves which extends over scalp and certain nerves in face, mouth, and throat.
A number of chemicals help transmit pain-related information to brain. Some of these chemicals are natural painkilling proteins called endorphins, Greek for "the morphine within."
Not all headaches require medical attention. Some result from missed meals or occasional muscle tension and are easily remedied. But some types of headache are signals of more serious disorders, and call for prompt medical care.
These include:
* Sudden, severe headache * Sudden, severe headache associated with a stiff neck * Headache associated with fever * Headache associated with convulsions * Headache accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness * Headache following a blow on head * Headache associated with pain in eye or ear * Persistent headache in a person who was previously headache free * Recurring headache in children * Headache which interferes with normal life
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What Tests Are Used to Diagnose Headache?
Patients may be asked: How often do you have headaches? Where is pain? How long do headaches last? When did you first develop headaches? The patient's sleep habits and family and work situations may also be probed.
A complete and careful physical and neurological examination will exclude many possibilities and suspicion of aneurysm, meningitis, or certain brain tumors. A blood test may be ordered to screen for thyroid disease, anemia, or infections which might cause a headache.
EEG's can indicate a malfunction in brain, but they cannot usually pinpoint a problem that might be causing a headache.
Headaches are diagnosed as
* Vascular * Muscle contraction (tension) * Traction * Inflammatory
Vascular headaches - a group that includes well-known migraine - are so named because they are thought to involve abnormal function of brain's blood vessels or vascular system.