Common Headache Symptoms

Headaches are very common in all age groups. Almost every person faces this problem at some point in his or her life. Some headaches give very light pain and some generate very high levels of pain, which remains between twenty minutes and three hours. Doctors classify headaches in two categories: primary and secondary. Primary diseases are minor and not harmful for human body. These are temporary diseases, which can be controlled with painkiller medicines. Secondary diseases are serious, and the main causes of secondary headaches are infection and drug inducement. Some headaches can be explained, and, with others, it can be difficult to determine what caused this pain.

Nobody knows the actual causes of headaches. More research must be done to uncover the causes of headaches and raise awareness. Some headaches are caused by constricted blood flow in the blood vessels around the head. Other types of headaches are caused by serious muscle contractions. Such headaches also attack the brain and may cause damage the brain. Primary headaches include migraine and tension headaches. Ninety percent or more face these primary diseases, and females mostly suffer from them, as compared to male. Secondary headaches involve cluster headaches, brain tumors and other serious headache diseases.      
The main type of primary headache is tension headaches. It is basically a normal pain and has no serious affect on the head, brain or any part of the human body. Tension headaches attack the back or top of the head. Such headaches may remain for a few hours or up to three days. Over-the-counter treatments like ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen are sufficient to treat tension headaches. These medicines must be taken as instructed on the package.

Another primary disease is migraine headaches. Over thirty-five-million, people suffer from this condition. Typical migraine headaches are unilateral and pulsating, lasting from six hours and up to seventy-two hours. This headache occurs equally in children, males and females. In adults, females face these headaches three times more often than males. Patients can experience trouble in with nausea, photophobia, vomiting and phonophobia.  Migraines can run in families, and doctors can give prescriptions to take at the first sign of a migraine to reduce symptoms.

Secondary headaches, as discussed above, are diseases that are more serious.  Proper diagnostic tests, such as an MRI Scan or CT Scan, should be used to determine the actual cause of this disease. The patient may feel fever, swelling in the face and puss in the ears. A painful type of secondary headache is cluster headache. Cluster headaches are neurological in nature and are immensely painful.

There are also other types of headaches, which are also important to learn about. Vascular headaches result from dilated arteries in the brain.  Sometimes, triggers, such as hangovers, hunger or caffeine, can cause this dilation.  In order to properly treat these headaches, the cause must be identified.  If you have had a traumatic experience that has resulted in a brain injury, or if you have experienced a medical event such as a stroke, you should inform your doctor, as these may be related to your headaches.

[Source:  http://www.healthtips101.com/common-headache-symptoms#more-697]