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Dangerous and harmless headaches
Headache is common. Approximately 83% of the Singapore population above the age of 12 have headaches. Almost all headaches occur without any problem with the brain such as a tumour or blood clot.
There is no way to cure headaches totally - they will tend to recur on and off throughout one's lifetime. In general, there is no relationship between the severity of headache and its cause.
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There are some features that may suggest a serious underlying cause for headaches.
These red flags include:
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New onset headaches, or headaches that differ from the previous headaches in their pattern and nature
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The "worst headache ever", or if one is woken up with sudden severe headache
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Fever
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Seizures or loss of consciousness
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Headaches worse in the morning, with nausea or vomiting
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Weakness or numbness on one side of the body, or difficulty walking
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Disturbance of memory, reasoning power or personality
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Headaches worse with bending over and straining
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Pain on one side of the head that never changes sides
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In general, headaches that are better after sleep, have clear triggers such as menses or exercise and that have been occurring for a long time are harmless. Headaches that can be easily classified into particular types such as migraine or tension headache are also unlikely to be dangerous.
Your doctor will decide with you whether or not you need a head scan to rule out any possibility of your headache being dangerous. In almost all cases, a scan will not be necessary if you are otherwise well.
More information regarding Headache:
Migraine
Tension headache
MPS & (TP)Therapy
Cervicogenic headache
Dental causes of headache
ENT causes of headache
Journal
FAQ's
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