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It is a feeling of discomfort defined as pain that affects part or all of the head. It occurs quite often in society, there are very few people who have never had a headache in their entire life. The characteristics, localization, duration and severity of pain vary depending on the person and the cause. It is mostly temporary and there is no serious underlying cause. It usually forms a course that goes with attacks for many years. If the frequency of headache is 3-4 days a week or more than 15 days a month, it is considered a chronic headache.
Headaches are divided into 2 groups according to their causes. Headaches that cannot be detected by a disease that will cause pain under the headache are called “primary” headaches. Migraine, tension headache, cluster headache, hypnic headache and hemicrania are the most common primary headaches. There are also rarer primary headaches that are excluded from these, and they make up a large list. Headaches that occur due to an underlying disease are called “secondary “ headaches. Many diseases of the brain or other systems cause headaches. Some of the secondary causes of headaches; Cerebral vascular blockages Brain hemorrhages Tumors Meningitis, Infectious diseases such as encephalitis Head and neck injuries High blood pressure Substance use and withdrawal conditions can be considered.
Characteristics such as the form, duration, location, frequency of pain are important in the diagnosis of headache. When a specialist doctor receives information about a headache, he can diagnose a headache with great accuracy. But secondary headaches can rarely give symptoms such as primary headache. For this reason, neurological examination and brain imaging examinations make the diagnosis final. In cases where secondary headache is considered, examinations are performed depending on the probable cause.
