Headaches - Risks - Types - He

Headaches are a common complaint among both sexes, although women do have a slight edge beating the men out 95% to 90%. Of the more than 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches each year, at least 16 million suffer from migraines. Migraine headaches occur in women three times as often as in men and affect approximately 18% of women in the United States, while only 6% of men experience migraines.

Studies have found clear evidence that 60% of women who experience headaches can trace the root of their headache to their menstrual cycle. Some studies have shown increased risk of stroke with the use of oral contraceptives. So talk to your doctor to determine if it's the right treatment for you.

Many people experience different types of headaches at various times and it's important to get a correct diagnosis of your headache. A variety of causes for headaches exist. But they're usually a symptom of an illness such as a sinus infection, cold, the flu or some other benign illness. But the possibility of a potentially life-threatening illness such as cerebral hemorage, anuerysm, a tumor, or an infection of the brain remains.

Several factors can trigger headaches including illness, nutrition, and your environment. Foods such as chocolate, anything pickled, nuts, sourdough, bananas, pizza, sausage or bologna are among several foods that often trigger migraines. Excess amounts of coffee, tea, and caffeine sodas may also trigger migraine headaches.

Many patients feel their migraines are the result of allergy though the scientific community has not been able to clearly verify this theory. Common household chemicals such as bleach and ammonia trigger headaches for many people. Others report headaches triggered by things such as perfumes and hair products.

Headaches can also be a symptom of a more serious disease or infection. So if you have a headache accompanied by fever or a stiff neck, you should seek immediate medical attention as these are symptoms of meningitis or other serious infections. Any headache accompanied by fever requires your physician's advice.

If your headache is the result of a head injury and lasts more than a few days, call your physician. Or if any neurological symptom accompanies your headache such as a disturbance in your speech or vision, any numbness or weakness in your body, or a problem concentrating, thinking or remembering, it's imperative that you seek your physician's advice immediately.

There are two basic types of headaches: tension and vascular. There are also two types of tension headaches. A continuous headache is one which is present when you wake up and all during the day.

Symptoms of vascular headaches typically include a throbbing pain which intensifies with physical exertion.

An aura often precedes a migraine headache which typically occurs on only one side of the headache and often is accompanied by nausea. There are several types of migraine headaches including a headache-free migraine, noted for the appearance of migraine symptoms including vision disturbance, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea without the presence of headache.

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