According to Dr. Sheela Chakraborty, Director – Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, a headache, whether mild or severe, should not be ignored. She recognizes that it is not just a symptom, and says that the severity varies from person to person. “On a scale of 0 to 10, 7 represents a severe headache. If you have a severe headache that is interfering with your daily activities, you should seek medical attention. Most headaches are mild. Ten out of a hundred The causes are serious, while the other 90 are self-limiting and do not require active intervention,” she explains.
Dr. Soumya M, Consultant, Neurology, Aster RV Hospital shared, “Many people experience headaches regularly. Sometimes they may have headaches that are not like their normal headaches. For example, Their pain may be of varying nature, increasing in severity or frequency, lasting longer.”
Signs that your headache is related
According to Dr. Soumya M, the warning signs of severe headache include sudden onset of headache, onset of headache after age 50, increase (change in pattern) in frequency or severity of headache, new onset of headache with an underlying condition like HIV is included. , cancer. Positional headache, headache caused by sneezing, coughing or exercise, headache after a head injury or fall. Headaches during pregnancy or after delivery may also be related with focal neurological signs such as new onset or severe headache, disturbances in vision, weakness, numbness, loss of consciousness, she adds.
Dr. Chakraborty says, “A person’s ability to predict when they will have a headache is known as aura. Because this is a very common symptom, it needs to be fully understood how it occurs. What started, how it progressed, and how many medications were taken. Administered.”
The following are examples of headaches that should not be ignored:
– result in double vision
– causes nausea
– Disrupts sleep and makes it difficult to perform daily tasks
– causes persistent vomiting
– limb lethargy
– speech slurring
– does not improve with time or painkillers
– Headache with systemic features such as fever, weight loss
Possible causes of severe, persistent headaches
When it comes to severe headaches, there is still no solid evidence to explain why they happen. Your headache can be triggered by many factors.
According to Dr. Chakraborty, in most cases, the headache is due to external factors. “Anxiety, for example, can cause headaches, whereas migraines are more common in women. Typically, triggers such as hunger, stress, lack of sleep or excessive sleep, bright lights or night, result in a pattern Headache. In case of migraine, medication can lead to delayed headache that lasts for several days. There are many treatment options available,” she shares.
Additionally, cluster headaches can also be a common cause of severe headaches. It is mostly associated with symptoms such as watery eyes and nasal congestion, which are often misdiagnosed as sinus headaches.
Another very uncommon but severe form of headache involves the thunderclap headache. It represents a sudden, downright unbearable headache that is like a sudden thunderclap, with pain peaking within 60 seconds. These appear out of nowhere after a workout or strenuous activity and cause fainting.
Dr. Chakraborty also discusses the connection between headache and hypertensive crisis. “Most of the time, there is an associated blood pressure that does not appear, and it is important to understand that a headache is not a manifestation of higher than normal blood pressure but a manifestation of extremely high blood pressure.” Therefore, as a result, taking blood pressure at an earlier stage is a simple tool to identify the problem and implement effective corrective measures. It is usually associated with a weakened walled artery that ruptures in the brain, known as an aneurysm. According to the doctor, people at risk of developing such diseases should undergo regular evaluation using tools like MRI and MRE to assess the weakened arteries and avoid any fatal complications.
Also, in the elderly, persistent headaches can be caused by a fall or other subdural trauma, in which some of the blood collects outside the brain, known as a post-traumatic headache. These headaches can be treated and relieved if they appear early.
Other emergency causes of headache can be stroke – ischemic, hemorrhagic, brain tumor, brain infection – bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, tubercular, cortical vein thrombosis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension and glaucoma – increased eye pressure.
When to seek medical help?
If you develop a persistent, severe headache that lasts for more than 72 hours, Dr. Soumya recommends seeking medical attention. A fresh onset of headache with symptoms like fever, loss of consciousness, visual disturbances, seizures, neurological defects, uncontrollable vomiting, then you should immediately consult your doctor.
Dr Chakraborty, on the other hand, recommends looking at the type of headache, as the pattern of the headache can reveal the severity of the problem.
Doctors warn against ignoring headaches that cause persistent, long-lasting and increasing pain. Early detection and treatment are important to avoid or treat serious complications.