Some of these are not harmful, such as cervicogenic headache (pain arising from the neck muscles). The excessive use of painkillers can paradoxically cause worsening painkiller headaches.More serious causes of secondary headaches include the following:
meningitis: inflammation of the meninges which presents with fever and meningismus, or stiff neck
bleeding inside the brain (intracranial hemorrhage)
subarachnoid hemorrhage (acute, severe headache, stiff neck without fever)
ruptured aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, intraparenchymal hemorrhage (headache only)
brain tumor: dull headache, worse with exertion and change in position, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Often, the person will have nausea and vomiting for weeks before the headache starts. temporal arteritis: inflammatory disease of arteries common in the elderly (average age 70) with fever, headache, weight loss, jaw claudication, tender vessels by the temples, polymyalgia rheumatica
acute closed-angle glaucoma (increased pressure in the eyeball): a headache that starts with eye pain, blurry vision, associated with nausea and vomiting. On physical exam, the person will have red eyes and a fixed, mid-dilated pupil. Post-ictal headaches: Headaches that happen after a convulsion or other type of seizure, as part of the period after the seizure (the post-ictal state)Gastrointestinal disorders may cause headaches, including Helicobacter pylori infection, celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroparesis, and hepatobiliary disorders. The treatment of the gastrointestinal disorders may lead to a remission or improvement of headaches.Migraine headaches are also associated with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS). CVS is characterized by episodes of severe vomiting, and often occur alongside symptoms similar to those of migraine headaches (photophobia, abdominal pain, etc.).
Most of these primary headaches are tension headaches. Most people with tension headaches have "episodic" tension headaches that come and go. Only 3.3% of adults have chronic tension headaches, with headaches for more than 15 days in a month.Approximately 12–18% of people in the world have migraines. More women than men experience migraines. In Europe and North America, 5–9% of men experience migraines, while 12–25% of women experience migraines.Cluster headaches are relatively uncommon. They affect only 1–3 per thousand people in the world. Cluster headaches affect approximately three times as many men as women. History
The first recorded classification system was published by Aretaeus of Cappadocia, a medical scholar of Greco-Roman antiquity. He made a distinction between three different types of headache: i) cephalalgia, by which he indicates a shortlisting, mild headache; ii) cephalea, referring to a chronic type of headache; and iii) heterochromia, a paroxysmal headache on one side of the head. Another classification system that resembles the modern ones was published by Thomas Willis, in De Cephalalgia in 1672. In 1787 Christian Baur generally divided headaches into idiopathic (primary headaches) and symptomatic (secondary ones), and defined 84 categories. Children
In general, children experience the same types of headaches as adults do, but their symptoms may be slightly different. The diagnostic approach to headaches in children is similar to that of adults. However, young children may not be able to verbalize pain well. If a young child is fussy, they may have a headache.Approximately 1% of emergency department visits for children are for headache.