Headache Management and Treatment

Study Notes

Headache

Headache is a symptom of pain anywhere in the head or neck region, not a disease state.
Two-thirds of non-prescription analgesic use may be for headache.

Types of Headaches

Primary headaches (~90% of headaches) are not associated with an underlying illness.
Examples of primary headaches include:
- Episodic and chronic tension-type headaches
- Migraine headaches with and without aura
- Cluster headaches

Primary Headaches

Tension-type Headaches

Also known as stress headaches, often appear in response to stress, anxiety, depression, and emotional conflicts.
Can be either episodic or chronic.
Chronic headaches occur 15 or more days per month for at least 3 months.
The most common type of primary headache.
Clinical Presentation:
- Severity of pain is highly variable.
- Shivering or cold temperatures may increase pain.
- Associated with sleep disturbances, shortness of breath, constipation, weight loss, fatigue, decreased sexual drive, palpitations, and menstrual changes.
- Pain is described as tightness or a weight pressing down on the head.
- Pain is gradual in onset and tends to worsen progressively throughout the day.
- Pain is normally mild to moderate and not aggravated by movement.

Migraine

The second most common type of primary headache.
Recurrent, often life-long, and characterized by recurring attacks.
Migraine with aura (neurologic symptoms that precede the head pain) occurs almost twice as frequently as migraine without aura.
Up to 70% of patients with migraine have family histories of migraine, suggesting a hereditary influence.
Triggers:
- Stress, fatigue, and irregular sleep patterns.
- Fasting or a missed meal, vasoactive substances in food, caffeine, alcohol, cheeses, salty foods, chocolate, and citrus fruits.
- Changes in female hormones.
- Changes in barometric pressure and altitude.
- Lights, odor, neck pain, and exercise.
- Medications (e.g., reserpine, nitrates, oral contraceptives, and postmenopausal hormones).
Menstrual migraines appear at the menstrual stage of the ovarian cycle and occur in approximately 60% of women with migraine.

Description

Learn about the symptoms, types, and treatment of headaches, a common pain disorder often treated with nonprescription analgesics. This quiz covers primary headaches, including tension type headaches and migraines.