Headache

Headache is a symptom of various diseases. Headaches can occur even in a healthy person, especially when excited, tired, or after drinking. Women (especially prone to depression) are more likely to have headaches during menstruation and menopause. The head hurts when pain receptors are irritated (especially abundant in the brain coverings, blood vessels, venous sinuses) and nerve fibers through which the excitement spreads. When nerve fibers coming from the brain coverings are irritated, the head hurts at the site of irritation, when from blood vessels – the pain is non-localized, diffuse. A burning, squeezing, pulsating, tearing pain occurs when the blood vessels of the brain are damaged and the brain is poorly supplied with blood. Gradually rising and disappearing after a few hours, headache is usually not a symptom of any disease. Factors such as emotional tension, fatigue, excessive alcohol consumption, being in an overheated or smoky environment can cause such a headache. However, a headache lasting more than 24 hours or recurring several times a week is a serious signal to consult doctors.

Source | Author Doctor Nikas Samuolis, reviewed by Prof. Virginijus Šapoka | Vilnius University | Faculty of Medicine | Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Oncology