Headaches

Headaches can consist of pain that originates above the eyes or ears, in the back of the head, or in the back of the upper neck. Similar to chest pain, headaches can be triggered by many different things.

Causes

The two kinds of headaches include primary and secondary. Primary headaches are not caused by any outside stimulus and begin on their own. Migraine, tension, and cluster headaches are all examples of primary headaches. Secondary headaches are always a side effect of a disease, which may be mild and curable or severe and life-threatening.

Tension headaches

The most common type of primary headache, nine out of ten adults have either already suffered or will suffer from a tension headache. Males are more likely to get tension headaches than females.

Migraine headaches

The second most common type of primary headache, about 28 million Americans suffer from migraines. Migraine headaches can affect all age groups; prior to puberty, children are equally affected by migraines regardless of sex. However, approximately six percent of men and as much as 18 percent of women will endure a migraine at some point in their lives following puberty.

Doctors often evaluate patients with migraines as having tension or sinus headaches instead. In turn, patients may not receive treatment specialized for migraines.

Cluster headaches

The rarest type of primary headache, only .1 percent of the entire US population is affected by cluster headaches. Around 85 percent of people who experience a cluster headache are male. The average age that someone usually suffers from a cluster headache is between 28 and 30 years old, but children can get cluster headaches in rare instances.

Secondary headaches are caused by a variety of scenarios ranging from potentially fatal to less severe. These include:

Brain tumors.
Strokes.
Meningitis.
Subarachnoid hemorrhages.
Caffeine withdrawal.
Stoppage of pain killer dosages.

A number of people who experience migraines may have previously had a tension or secondary headache that evolved into a migraine. This is disorder is known as a "mixed" headache.

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