This is an automatically translated article.
Consulted by BSCK II Pham Thi Son - Neurologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong General HospitalHeadache is a very common symptom in daily life, manifested by pain in the head caused by many different diseases. Unusual headaches can be a sign of some disorder in the body. So what causes headaches?
1. Mechanism of headaches
All sensory structures of the intracranial or extracranial nervous system are responsible for triggering headaches when stimulated. Irritation can be caused by an inflammatory process, tumor invasion, anemia, and conditions that cause torsion, stretch, or edema around the blood vessels.
The mechanism of pain generation of the above-mentioned physical injuries usually takes place in two ways:
The physical injury causes mechanical stimulation of pain receptors (such as stretching or twisting). in blood vessels as well as other pain receptor-bearing organs).
● Injury leads to the production of chemical mediators (including serotonin, kinins, prostaglandins), which act on pain receptors and cause clinical pain.
2. Why do you have a headache?
According to the World Headache Society (IHS), the causes of headaches can be traced back to 70 different groups.
Headaches can be divided into three basic groups:
Headaches due to brain causes: For example, headaches due to brain tumors, brain stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain vascular malformation.... Headaches caused by diseases of other organs in the body such as: Fever, dehydration, increased liver enzymes, kidney failure, exhaustion, poisoning, rhinitis, sinusitis, chronic diseases that are not well controlled.... Headaches due to mental causes such as: depression, sleep disorders, stress, anxiety disorders... Sometimes headaches are caused by changes in daily life such as: not taking a nap, sleeping in an inappropriate position. in case, due to morning sickness, due to a lot of noise, due to change in weather, etc.
Here are some causes of headaches:
2.1. Migraine Headaches
Migraine headache is one of the most common ailments. This is a special case of a group of chronic headaches originating from a primary disorder in the brain. This disease is not usually life-threatening, except for specific types, such as migraine with neurological complications (usually causing hemiplegia, cerebral infarction or convulsions). Statistics from the US show that nearly 20% of women under 45 years old begin to experience migraine headaches.
Migraine headache is characterized by pain that recurs continuously into attacks, the level of pain progresses from moderate to severe, the scalp also twitches with pulse rhythm, when the pain is often accompanied by symptoms of nausea, vomiting , fear of light, fear of noises, visual disturbances. In particular, the pain only appears on one side of the head and has a variable nature, sometimes on the right side, sometimes on the left side.
Migraine can appear at any time of the day but is more common in the morning or during menstruation in women.
Biểu hiện đau nửa đầu thường xuất hiện nhiều hơn vào buổi sáng hoặc những ngày hành kinh
2.2. Headache caused by compression from brain tumors
Causes of compression brain tumors are rarer. However, more than half of people with brain tumors will experience headaches. Headaches caused by brain tumors often appear in the middle of the night and early in the morning, gradually getting worse. In the late stage, the patient will often be accompanied by vomiting, tinnitus in one ear, visual impairment and papilledema, difficulty speaking or presenting with confusion, convulsions, uncontrollable unsteady gait, weakness one side of body
2.3. Headache due to injury or accident
Headaches after an accident can happen right after an accident due to skull fracture, bleeding in the brain, concussion... But some cases of headache appear late from 1 month to 6 months after the accident due to epidural and subdural hematoma. This is a bleeding outside the brain. The hematoma increases in size and gradually presses on the brain. At that time, patients often present with pain in the head area, increasing in intensity, often headache on one side, dizziness, accompanied by signs of weakness in the opposite side, possibly accompanied by vomiting symptoms.
For these cases, the patient needs to be detected early through computed tomography or cranial magnetic resonance imaging. Usually, the doctor will appoint an emergency surgery to pump, drain the hematoma, release the nerve compression, the prognosis after treatment is usually better.
Headaches caused by epidural hematomas are often forgotten due to the disease occurring long after the accident and sometimes the accidents in the head area are not obvious (such as hitting the head in the bathroom, hitting the head on a tree branch, bumping the head). into the ceiling wall.....)
2.4. Tension headaches
This is the cause of headaches that are happening on a daily basis and tend to increase. Stress can cause headaches, appearing in everyday living and working environments, the pain is repetitive in certain conditions. Patients with tension headaches usually just need to take time to rest, have reasonable activities, and limit stress. If the symptoms cannot be resolved and the patient needs to be reassured, the doctor may prescribe the use of common pain relievers and sedatives if absolutely necessary.
Đau đầu thường xuất hiện do căng thẳng trong công việc, học tập, gia đình
2.5. Headaches caused by brain infections and meningitis
Patients often have signs of fever, diffuse and continuous headache, possibly accompanied by neck stiffness, fear of light and sound, mental confusion, sluggishness, slow contact, appearance of other symptoms. Neurological signs such as: convulsions, hemiplegia, paralysis of cranial nerves manifested by crossed eyes, distorted mouth, drooping eyelids... , blood tests and cranial magnetic resonance imaging to find the cause of infection.
2.6. Headaches due to ear, nose and throat problems - sinusitis - diseases of the maxillofacial region - cervical spine
Headaches caused by this group of causes are usually only localized to the forehead, but can also be found in the apex - occipital region (in inflammation of the ethmoid sinuses, sphenoid sinuses, cervical spondylosis). Headaches appear along with signs of stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat or pain in the neck and shoulders. These diseases stimulate the nerves in the craniofacial region, often causing throbbing, uncomfortable jerks, and brief episodes of pain. In addition, if you notice a severe one-sided headache with red eyes and decreased vision, you should think about glaucoma and other disorders of the eyeball.
Besides, cerebrovascular accident (stroke) is also one of the common causes of headaches. On the other hand, a stroke, in addition to a headache, can also cause many other symptoms and risk leaving many serious sequelae for the patient.
3. Examination and treatment of headaches at Vinmec
In summary, headaches are associated with many causes, which may require the intervention of many different specialties. Therefore, the diagnosis and treatment will face many difficulties, even potential causes that greatly affect the patient's health. Therefore, when noticing signs of headache, patients should go to a neurologist as soon as possible for advice.
Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital is one of the reliable choices with many advantages of a team of experienced doctors and modern machinery and equipment:
A team of highly skilled doctors , many years of experience, with the connection support of the whole Vinmec system meeting JCI international standards. The most modern equipment and machinery: Being the first hospital in Hai Phong to own a Signa Pioneer 3.0 Tesla Magnetic Resonator from GE (USA) and a CT scanner Aquilion One (Vision Edition) 640 slices of Toshiba ( Japan), along with the means to help diagnose vascular and nerve damage early and accurately. Currently, in Hai Phong, only Vinmec hospital has a video EEG machine, which is of high value in accurately diagnosing epilepsy. Executing doctor: Doctor CKII Pham Thi Son - with 20 years of experience in the field of neurology. In particular, the doctor has a lot of experience in diagnosing and treating headaches.
Bác sĩ Phạm Thị Sơn đã có 20 năm kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực thần kinh
In addition, the hospital's other testing systems are up to standards and are guaranteed to follow standard operating procedures. Patients are completely assured when visiting and treating headaches at Vinmec Hai Phong Hospital.
If you want to visit and treat headaches at Vinmec Hai Phong International Hospital, please contact HOTLINE: (+ 84 22) 57309 888 or book an appointment HERE.
