Headache

Pain felt within the head that is thought to be caused by dilation of intracranial arteries or pressure upon them. Common causes are stress, tiredness, fever accompanying an infection, dyspepsia, high blood pressure, rheumatic diseases and an excess of close work involving the eyes. Headache may indicate the presence of disease or disorder in the brain and also result from injury or concussion. Headaches can also arise as a side-effect of some Oral Contraceptive Pills. Many drugs are used to treat headaches, and the most common are paracetamol, codeine, aspirin and ibuprofen.

Causes Of Headaches:
Occasional headaches can be caused by a number of things - stress, strain, fatigue, lack of sleep, eyesight problems, even acidity. If you get tension-type headache (TTH), understand that it is the result of taut muscles. Some of the common causes are explained below:

i. Stress: Stress, tightens the muscles of your neck, shoulders and head and upper spine and back. This leads to the lowering of endorphin levels, resulting in headache.

ii. Diets: Diet and sensitivities towards particular food groups may cause acidity and gas and heart burns which are one of the major causes of headaches. People who are addicted to too much caffeine and tea intake, will suffer headaches with withdrawal of these beverages. Some Food additives such as monosodium glutamate and chemicals such as amine also might induce headaches. Fluctuating blood sugar levels also lead to headaches.

iii. ENT Problems: Ear, Nose And throat Disorders like, common cold, throat infections, teeth and gum infection, Sinus, Ear infections and tonsillitis may all lead to headaches.

iv. Eye Problems: Vision related problems, such as long-sightedness, change of eye power, photo-sensitivity may all result in headaches.

v. Medicines: Come medications, such as oral birth control pills, diabetes related drugs and painkillers may induce headaches as side effects.

v. Other Causes: Other causes such as incorrect posture which leads to strained neck and back muscles might lead to headaches. Extreme temperatures, drug or alcohol abuse leading to hangovers, Continuous loud disturbing noises and low water intake leading to dehydration might all induce headaches.

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Types Of Headache

Index Of Medical Terms