Headaches are a major disability in our modern societies. They are common, and commonly misunderstood.

Firstly we must understand that headaches are just a symptom. Headache is a description about the anatomical location of pain. The word headache is not diagnostic of any particular cause.

There are many different types of headache. Their head location, severity, incidence and recurrence vary on the type of headache. Careful examination, history taking and diagnostic imaging all have a role to play in determining which type of headache you suffer from. Once this is determined an appropriate treatment regime.



There are two major headache classifications: primary and secondary. Primary headaches are not caused by other diseases. They include migraine headaches, tension headaches,cervicogenic and cluster headaches. are caused by associated disease. The associated disease contributes to the headache and may in itself  range from minor to very serious.


are the most common type of primary headache; as many as 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches are more common among women than men. They represent 75% of all headaches suffered by people with all the other headache types contributing the remaining 25%.

Cervicogenic headaches have their origins in disorders of the neck. The word "cervico" meaning neck and the word "genic" referring to the birth or origin of something. The literature gives a very wide range of incidence of cervicogenic headache. Figures range from 13 to 79% for those with degenerative cervical spine changes through to 48 to 82% for those with indirect trauma to the neck.


are the second most common type of primary headache though much less common that those of the tension-type.. An estimated 22-30 million people in the United States will experience migraine headaches. Migraine headaches can affect children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty, women will be far more afflicted. It is estimated that 6% of men and up to 18% of women will experience a migraine headache in their lifetime.

are a relatively rare type of primary headache, affecting less than 1% of the population. An estimated 85% of cluster headache sufferers are men compared with women. The average age of cluster headache sufferers is 28-30 years though people of all ages including women can suffer from them.

have diverse causes, ranging from serious and life threatening conditions such as brain tumors, strokes, meningitis, and subarachnoid hemorrhages to less serious but common conditions such as withdrawal from caffeine and discontinuation of analgesics.

Many people suffer from "mixed" headache disorders in which tension headaches or secondary headaches trigger migraine headaches.

Are primary headaches dangerous?

Tension headaches have not been shown to lead to neurological dysfunction or brain damage. In general, this is true of migraine headaches. However, there is a rare association of migraine headaches and stroke, particularly in sufferers of complicated migraines. While cluster headaches need to be differentiated from more serious neurological conditions, there is no known danger of cluster headaches leading to stroke.

When should one consult a doctor for headaches?

Many people who suffer from mild headaches medicate themselves with over-the-counter analgesics, and they usually do not seek medical care. Nevertheless, the symptoms of primary headaches and secondary headaches can overlap. Furthermore, a person with a long history of migraine or tension headaches can develop a new secondary headache. Many tension or sinus headaches probably are migraine headaches and will respond to treatments that are specific for migraine. Therefore, a doctor should be consulted if the headache is:

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