Is it normal to experience headaches every day. What are the different types of chronic daily headaches. What causes chronic headaches and how can they be prevented. When should you see a doctor for persistent headaches.

Understanding Chronic Daily Headaches

Experiencing headaches on a regular basis can be both frustrating and concerning. While occasional headaches are common, persistent daily headaches may indicate a more serious underlying condition. Chronic daily headaches are defined as headaches occurring 15 days or more per month for at least three months. These headaches can significantly impact one’s quality of life and daily functioning.

Types of Chronic Daily Headaches

There are four main types of chronic daily headaches, each with its own characteristics and symptoms:

1. Chronic migraine headaches: These can affect one or both sides of the head, causing moderate to severe throbbing pain. They are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
2. Chronic tension headaches: Typically affecting both sides of the head, these headaches cause mild to moderate pain that feels like pressing or tightening rather than throbbing.
3. New daily persistent headaches: These headaches occur suddenly, often in individuals without a prior history of headaches. They usually affect both sides of the head and cause mild to moderate pressing or tightening pain.
4. Hemicrania continua: This type of headache affects only one side of the head continuously, with no pain-free periods. It is characterized by severe pain spikes and responds to the prescription drug Indocin.

Potential Causes of Chronic Headaches

The exact cause of chronic daily headaches remains unclear, but several factors may contribute to their development:

• Inflammation or problems with blood vessels in and around the brain
• Strokes or reduced blood flow to the brain
• Infections, such as meningitis
• High or low intracranial pressure
• Brain tumors
• Traumatic brain injury
• Overuse of pain medication

Preventing and Managing Chronic Headaches

While the root cause of chronic headaches may be difficult to pinpoint, there are several strategies that can help prevent or reduce their intensity:

Identify and Avoid Triggers

Keeping a headache diary can help you identify potential triggers, such as certain foods, activities, or environmental factors. Once identified, try to avoid these triggers as much as possible.

Medication Management

Are you taking headache medications more than twice a week? This practice can actually increase the frequency and severity of headaches. Consult your doctor about proper medication use and potential alternatives.

Prioritize Sleep

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is crucial for headache prevention. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night and try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Regular, nutritious meals can help prevent headaches. Avoid skipping meals and be mindful of foods or beverages that may trigger your headaches.

Exercise Regularly

Physical activity can improve overall well-being and reduce stress, which may help prevent headaches. Choose activities you enjoy, such as walking or cycling, after consulting with your doctor.

Stress Management

Stress is a common trigger for chronic headaches. Incorporate stress-reduction techniques like yoga, tai chi, or meditation into your daily routine.

Caffeine Reduction

While caffeine can help reduce headache pain in some cases, it can also aggravate headaches in others. Consider reducing or eliminating caffeine intake to see if it improves your symptoms.

When to Consult a Doctor

While occasional headaches may not require medical attention, certain situations warrant a visit to your healthcare provider:

• Experiencing two or more headaches per week consistently
• Relying on pain relievers for headaches on most days
• Needing more than the recommended dose of over-the-counter medicines for relief
• Noticing changes in headache patterns or worsening symptoms
• Finding headaches to be disabling

Red Flags: When to Seek Immediate Medical Care

In some cases, headaches can be a sign of a more serious condition requiring immediate medical attention. Seek emergency care if your headache:

• Is sudden and severe
• Is accompanied by fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness, or difficulty speaking
• Occurs after a head injury
• Worsens after rest and pain medication

Getting the Right Care for Your Headaches

If you’re experiencing chronic headaches, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare professional. They can help diagnose the underlying cause and develop an appropriate treatment plan. For those without a regular doctor, many healthcare facilities offer primary care services and can provide guidance on managing chronic headaches.

Diagnostic Approaches for Chronic Headaches

When you visit a doctor for chronic headaches, they may use various diagnostic tools to determine the cause and type of your headaches:

• Detailed medical history: Your doctor will ask about your headache patterns, symptoms, and any potential triggers.
• Physical examination: This may include a neurological exam to check for signs of underlying conditions.
• Imaging tests: CT scans or MRIs may be ordered to rule out structural problems or tumors.
• Blood tests: These can help identify infections or other medical conditions that might be causing your headaches.

Treatment Options for Chronic Daily Headaches

Treatment for chronic daily headaches often involves a multifaceted approach:

1. Preventive medications: These are taken regularly to reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. Examples include antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, and blood pressure medications.
2. Acute pain relievers: These are used to treat headaches when they occur. However, it’s important to use them sparingly to avoid medication overuse headaches.
3. Non-pharmacological treatments: These may include biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy, or acupuncture.
4. Lifestyle modifications: Implementing changes in diet, exercise, and stress management can significantly impact headache frequency and intensity.

Living with Chronic Daily Headaches

Coping with chronic daily headaches can be challenging, but there are strategies to help manage the condition and improve quality of life:

Educate Yourself

Understanding your condition can empower you to make informed decisions about your health. Stay up-to-date with the latest research and treatment options for chronic headaches.

Build a Support Network

Connect with friends, family, or support groups who understand your condition. Sharing experiences and coping strategies can be invaluable.



Practice Self-Care

Prioritize activities that promote overall well-being, such as regular exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep. These habits can help reduce headache frequency and severity.

Explore Complementary Therapies

Some people find relief through complementary therapies such as massage, aromatherapy, or herbal supplements. Always consult with your doctor before trying new treatments.

Manage Stress

Chronic headaches can be both a cause and result of stress. Incorporate stress-reduction techniques into your daily routine, such as mindfulness meditation or deep breathing exercises.

Advancements in Headache Research and Treatment

The field of headache medicine is constantly evolving, with new treatments and understanding emerging regularly:

CGRP Inhibitors

A new class of drugs called CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) inhibitors has shown promise in preventing migraines. These medications work by blocking a protein involved in pain transmission.

Neuromodulation Devices

Non-invasive devices that stimulate specific nerves have been developed to treat and prevent various types of headaches. These include transcutaneous supraorbital nerve stimulation and single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation.



Personalized Medicine

Researchers are working on identifying genetic markers that may predict an individual’s response to specific headache treatments, paving the way for more personalized and effective care.

Lifestyle Interventions

Ongoing research continues to explore the impact of lifestyle factors on headache frequency and severity. This includes studies on the effects of diet, exercise, and sleep on chronic headaches.

The Economic and Social Impact of Chronic Headaches

Chronic daily headaches not only affect individual sufferers but also have broader societal implications:

Workplace Productivity

Chronic headaches can significantly impact work performance and attendance. According to some estimates, migraine alone costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars annually in lost productivity.

Healthcare Costs

The management of chronic headaches often involves ongoing medical care, medications, and sometimes emergency room visits, contributing to substantial healthcare costs.

Quality of Life

Chronic headaches can affect various aspects of life, including relationships, social activities, and overall well-being. This can lead to increased rates of anxiety and depression among sufferers.



Stigma and Misunderstanding

Despite their prevalence, chronic headaches are often misunderstood. Raising awareness about the impact of these conditions is crucial for improving support and understanding in society.

Prevention Strategies for Chronic Headaches

While not all chronic headaches can be prevented, certain strategies may help reduce their frequency and severity:

Maintain a Consistent Schedule

Keeping a regular sleep and meal schedule can help prevent headaches triggered by changes in routine.

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration can trigger headaches in some individuals. Ensure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day.

Practice Good Posture

Poor posture, especially when working at a desk, can lead to tension headaches. Be mindful of your posture and take regular breaks to stretch.

Limit Screen Time

Excessive screen time can lead to eye strain and headaches. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Manage Allergies and Sinus Problems

For some people, allergies and sinus issues can trigger headaches. Work with your doctor to manage these conditions effectively.



Consider Supplements

Some studies suggest that certain supplements, such as magnesium or riboflavin, may help prevent migraines. Always consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen.

In conclusion, while chronic daily headaches can be debilitating, understanding the condition and implementing appropriate management strategies can significantly improve quality of life. By working closely with healthcare providers, staying informed about new treatments, and adopting healthy lifestyle habits, individuals with chronic headaches can take control of their condition and minimize its impact on their daily lives.

Is It Normal To Get Headaches Everyday?

Back to Blog

May 16, 2022

No, it’s NOT normal to get headaches everyday

Most people have headaches from time to time. But if you have a headache more days than not, you might have chronic daily headaches, which come in many forms – most of them pretty disabling.

You may be suffering from chronic daily headaches if the headaches occur 15 days or more a month and you have experienced them for at least three months.

In general, there are four kinds of chronic daily headaches. They include:

• Chronic migraine headaches. These can affect one side or both sides of your head, have a throbbing sensation, and cause moderate-to-severe pain. They can also cause nausea, vomiting, or both. People tend to be sensitive to light and sound during these headaches.
• Chronic tension headaches. These tend to affect both sides of your head, cause mild-to-moderate pain, and produce a pain that feels like pressing or tightening but not throbbing.
• New daily persistent headaches. These occur suddenly, usually in people without a history of headaches. They often affect both sides of the head, cause pain that feels like pressing or tightening and produce mild-to-moderate pain.
• Hemicrania continua. These affect only one side of the head, are continuous with no pain-free periods, produce spikes of severe pain, respond to the prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Indocin, and are associated with one or more of the following:
  • Tearing or redness of the eye on the affected side of the head.
  • Nasal congestion or a runny nose.
  • Drooping eyelid or narrowing pupil.
  • The sensation of restlessness.

What Causes Chronic Headaches?

No one really knows why some people suffer from this debilitating condition. Conditions that may cause it include:

• Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain.
• Strokes, in which blood vessels in the brain a blocked, reducing blood flow to the brain.
• Infections, including meningitis.
• High or low intracranial pressure.
• Brain tumors.
• Traumatic brain injury.
• Overuse of pain medication.

While the cause of these headaches is unclear, research suggests that you can do some things to help prevent them – or at least reduce their intensity:

• Avoid headache triggers. Keep track of things that appear to result in headaches, including foods you eat, activities you are doing, and the environment in which the headaches occur. If you can identify your headache triggers, you can try to avoid them.
• Do not overuse medication. Using headache medications more than twice a week can increase the frequency and severity of headaches. If you have been taking medication for a long time, consult a doctor about weaning yourself off. Some medicines cannot be stopped cold turkey.
• Get a good night’s sleep. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night. It’s best to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. If you have trouble sleeping, see a doctor.
• Don’t skip meals. Eat healthy meals and avoid food or beverages that seem to trigger headaches. Lose weight if you’re obese.
• Get regular exercise. Physical activity can improve your physical and mental well-being and reduce stress. With your doctor’s OK, choose activities you enjoy, like walking or cycling.
• Reduce stress. Stress is a common trigger of chronic headaches. Try stress-reduction techniques, like yoga, tai chi, or meditation.
• Cut back on caffeine. Some headache medications include caffeine because they can help to reduce headache pain. But it can also aggravate headaches. Try reducing or eliminating caffeine.

When Should You See A Doctor?

Occasional headaches usually require no special medical attention. However, you should consult a doctor if you:

• Consistently have two or more headaches a week.
• Take pain reliever for your headaches on most days.
• Need more than the recommended dose of over-the-counter medicines to relieve headache pain.
• Experience changes in the pattern of your headaches, or they get worse.
• Find the headaches are disabling.

Seek immediate medical care if your headache:

• Is sudden and severe.
• Is accompanied by a fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness, or difficulty speaking.
• Occurs after a head injury.
• Gets worse after you rest and take pain medication.

Get The Care You Need 

If your chronic headache is sudden and severe and associated with one of the symptoms above, you should call 911 and seek immediate medical attention. If you suffer from more common chronic headaches, visit your doctor for advice. If you do not have a doctor, Grady can help. If you need a primary care physician, call us at (404) 616-1000 or make an appointment online. We’ll arrange an appointment at a Primary Care Center near you. Doctors there can treat most conditions and provide access to Grady’s unparalleled medical specialty expertise.

Related articles

Are Your Daily Headaches a Sign of Something More Serious?

Don’t fret just yet. The pounding pain in your head may be annoying, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate a bigger problem.

There it is again — the throbbing in your dome. If you’re bothered by frequent headaches, you may be concerned that you have a more serious condition, such as a brain tumor or an aneurysm. And while those and other dangerous conditions can be marked by headaches, it’s likely that your pain is primary. In other words: It’s probably not the result of another condition.

Unfortunately, doctors don’t know what causes most headaches. According to some estimates, only 10% of headaches have a known cause. But there are contributing factors that can trigger chronic headaches, such as:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Dehydration
• Hunger
• Lack of sleep
• Sensory triggers such as bright lights, loud noises and pungent smells
• Stress

Chronic headaches can also be linked to other disorders, including depression, anxiety, sinus infections, allergies and temporomandibular joint dysfunction, also known as TMJ. In order to figure out your headache pattern and identify your triggers, you may want to keep a headache diary to share with your doctor. The National Headache Foundation provides a handy template.

Here are a few common types of chronic headaches:

Tension headache

This is the most common type of headache and it’s likely that you’ve had more than one of these in your life. But for some people, they occur almost every day. Tension headaches affect both sides of your head with a pressing, moderate pain. Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) often help, but taking them for long periods of time can lead to headaches called “medication overuse” or “rebound” headaches. Instead, you may want to try meditation, relaxation techniques or heat therapy.

Migraine

Migraines, although less common, are more severe. The pain is intense, may pulsate and can be accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, vomiting or visual disturbances called “auras.” Often, migraines only affect one side of the head, although they can affect both. They also affect women more often than men. Prescription medications are available to treat migraines, but you also may benefit from simply resting in a quiet, dark room and using hot or cold compresses. Progressive symptoms of more severe or frequent headaches, or any headache that is also associated with other neurological symptoms, should be evaluated by a physician

Cluster headache

Men are more likely to have these more sudden headaches, which are often marked by pain on one side of the head, behind the eye. They tend to happen in clustered periods of time, even multiple times a day, then disappear for a while. Eyes tend to water, and a restless feeling is common. These headaches usually require prescription medicines.

New daily persistent headache (NDPH)

If you suddenly get frequent headaches, you may have NDPH. The symptoms of NDPH can mimic tension headaches or migraines, but NDPH occurs in people who don’t have a history of headaches. Often, people with NDPH can remember exactly when the onset happened. Your doctor may need to run tests to make sure these headaches aren’t secondary — that is, a symptom of a serious underlying condition.

Although daily headaches might not be the result of a dangerous problem, they can affect your quality of life and shouldn’t be considered “normal.”

“Progressive symptoms of more severe or frequent headaches, or any headache that is also associated with other neurological symptoms, should be evaluated by a physician,” says Jonathan J. Russin, MD, a neurosurgeon at Keck Medicine of USC and assistant professor of clinical neurological surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Even using these criteria, the majority of headaches will not represent an underlying problem. An exception is a ‘thunderclap’ headache, which refers to the sudden onset of the worst headache of your life. This type of headache should always be evaluated by a physician whether it is associated with other symptoms or not.”

Topics

cluster headache

Dr. Jonathan J. Russin

headaches

migraine

tension headache

Tina Donvito

Tina Donvito is a freelance writer covering health, culture, travel and parenting.

Why does my head hurt every day. Causes of daily pain.

Why does my head hurt every day. Causes of daily pain.

Gimranov Rinat Fazylzhanovich
Neurologist, neurophysiologist, experience – 33 years;
Professor of Neurology, MD;
Clinic for Rehabilitation Neurology. About the author

Publication date: April 6, 2021

Updated: March 3, 2023

Headache indicates circulatory disorders and other pathological processes that occur with different intensity and speed. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to your own well-being.

At a young age, such problems do not occur so often and it is not always clear, for example, what to do if a child has a headache. The older a person becomes, the better he begins to understand how to deal with pain.

If your head hurts a little, but almost every day, you need to go through an examination and find out the reasons why the attacks happen during the day. The problem can be solved by adjusting the daily regimen, nutrition, replenishment of vitamins. Serious treatment for depression may be required [1]. Or other dangerous pathologies.

Article content:

• 1 Causes
• 2 Diagnosis
• 3 Treatment
• 4 Prevention
• 5 References

Causes

Often the problem in a person suffering from regular headaches is not a disease, but a negative influence of external circumstances.

Common causes that an adult has a very bad headache almost every day are:

1. Too little or too much sleep. Too long a period of sleep, as well as its regular lack, lead to severe headaches in adults in the morning and afternoon, when most of the rest is not at night.
1. Stress, acute and chronic. A stressful state provokes an excessive load on the nervous system. It leads to a constant feeling of fatigue and attacks, like a headache with a migraine.
1. Systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol negatively affects the circulatory system and brain cells, gradually destroying them. With excessive or frequent use of alcoholic beverages, episodes of cephalalgia become regular.
1. Head injuries. After the impact, discomfort can persist in the patient for 1.5 – 2 months.
1. Neoplasms, benign and malignant. A cyst or tumor inside the skull is accompanied by constant pain in the affected area [2]. The growing neoplasm increases in size and presses on adjacent tissues.
1. Infectious diseases that cause inflammation of various parts of the head.
1. Taking medications. The use of medicines without the advice of a doctor, too often or simply because of their specific side effects, leads to the manifestation of headaches.
1. Diseases of the cardiovascular system, to a greater extent associated with regular jumps in blood pressure. In this case, the vessels of the brain suffer, the nutrition of the brain is disturbed, to which it reacts with cephalgia.
1. Eye strain. Working with equipment with a backlit screen, with small details or in poor lighting, leads to overstrain of the eye muscles. That gradually develops into a full-fledged pain syndrome.
1. It is extremely important to find out in time why an adult has a very strong or slight headache almost every day, because the reason can be easily eliminated. Or, on the contrary, it is life-threatening and requires special treatment [3].

Diagnosis

If the head hurts almost every day during the daytime, then before deciding what to do about it, whether it is normal or a manifestation of the disease, they determine the causes, try to understand what it could be

As a result, he refers the patient for a consultation with a specialized doctor and prescribes the necessary tests:

• Blood tests: clinical, biochemical, for hormones in women.
• Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cervical spine.
• Diagnosis by ultrasound, intracranial dopplerography.
• Electroencephalography, EEG monitoring.

According to the data obtained, it will be clear why the head hurts not much, but every day, and why this or that symptomatology began to develop. After analyzing the results and consulting with colleagues, the doctor will make an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment

After the causes of severe or mild headaches are identified in an adult almost every day, the doctor, knowing exactly what this disease is, can treat it.

For regular headaches, adults may be prescribed:

• Painkillers of the appropriate category. Sometimes, they need to be combined and taken for a long time [4].
• Sedatives. Since headache attacks are often the result of psycho-emotional stress, sedatives help reduce anxiety and pressure on a person.
• Antibacterials if an infection has been found. At the same time, medications are prescribed for the symptoms that accompany the disease.
• Antihypertensive drugs to help manage high blood pressure (BP). Depending on the specific cause that causes attacks of high blood pressure, drugs of the appropriate groups are prescribed.
• Hypotension medicines help with low blood pressure. Quickly remove pain, increase efficiency.

Therapy is selected strictly based on the diagnosis and the identified symptoms. As a rule, it is possible to limit oneself to taking drugs and a complex of physiotherapeutic procedures.

Depending on the causes of daily headaches, additional physiotherapy procedures may be prescribed. Electrophoresis, magnetotherapy and massage courses become frequent appointments. Against the background of a sedentary lifestyle and in the presence of excess weight, a special course of physiotherapy exercises and a diet are prescribed.

In some cases, surgery may be indicated. It is resorted to in the case when the disease cannot be defeated by other means.

There are folk remedies that help to cope with headache attacks. Before resorting to them, you should consult with your doctor. There are ways that will have a negative impact on your condition or affect the course of therapy, cause side effects.

After examining the patient, the clinic complements the treatment complex with physiotherapy methods. In some cases, the result is shown by sessions of transcranial magnetic stimulation – TMS.

For each patient, the modes of exposure that suit him are selected. Thanks to this, a quick and lasting result is achieved. TMS is also used for the prevention of pain.

Prevention

In most cases, if you suffer from daily headaches in the evening and during the day, you can improve your well-being by using preventive measures.

Most doctors agree that in order to avoid the occurrence of headaches, it is necessary to follow several rules [5]:

• Avoid overvoltage. Psycho-emotional exhaustion has the worst effect on well-being in adulthood. Avoid severe stress and perform only feasible physical and intellectual activities.
• Spend more free time outdoors. A walk in the park or a weekend trip to nature with a little physical activity will have a positive effect on health. It is relevant if you lead an inactive lifestyle most of the time.
• Alignment and observance of the daily routine. The distribution of time for sleep, work and rest according to psychophysical needs will avoid exhaustion of the body.
• Power regulation. It is worth paying more attention to a healthy natural diet: reduce the amount of sugar consumed, confectionery, fatty foods and products containing soy.
• Professional massage and self-massage of the frontal and temporal areas will stop the onset of a headache or prevent an attack. A course of special massage will allow you to forget about this problem for a long time.

If, even if you follow the right lifestyle and without the influence of changed external factors, you start to have a headache every day, you need to establish the causes with the help of diagnostics from a doctor.

References

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Headache – the causes of the appearance, in which diseases it occurs, diagnosis and methods of treatment.
The basis of the headache is irritation of pain receptors located in:

• dura mater and brain vessels;
• periosteum of the skull, vessels of the soft tissues of the head, muscles.

The brain tissue itself does not contain pain receptors.

Types of headaches (cephalgia)

Headaches are divided into primary and secondary. Headache is considered primary if it is the main manifestation of brain disease, such as migraine and tension-type headache.

Secondary headache is a symptom of other disorders, such as head trauma, chronic cerebral ischemia, viral diseases, diseases of the cervical spine, etc.

Let’s take a look at the four most common types of headaches.

Possible causes

Tension headache

Tension headache is the most common form of primary headache. Psycho-emotional stress, depression, anxiety and various phobias, overstrain of the muscles of the shoulder girdle are the main causes of tension headaches.

Migraine headache

Migraine occurs in women about three times more often than in men, and about 60-70% of all cases of migraine in women are the so-called menstrual migraine. However, the causes and mechanism of development of migraine attacks are not fully understood. At any age, both in men and women, migraine attacks can be provoked by emotional and physical overload, malnutrition, drinking alcohol, changing weather conditions, harsh noise, strong odors, etc.

Headache with colds

Headache with colds is caused by hyperthermia and the damaging effect of microbial toxins on brain cells.

Headache in chronic cerebral ischemia


The cause of this pain, which is the most common secondary headache in elderly patients, is the pathology of the cerebral vessels, in which blood circulation is disturbed and the blood supply to the brain tissues deteriorates.

The result is progressive brain dysfunction.

What diseases occur

Tension headache

Tension headache is based on irritation of the structures of the central nervous system (CNS), called the nociceptive system. Myogenic, stress, psychogenic headaches are tension headaches.


Most often, tension headache occurs at a young and working age.

In cases of tension headache, the person experiences bilateral, usually mild, pressing and squeezing, monotonous and dull headaches. Attacks of such pain are accompanied by fatigue, nervousness, impaired appetite and sleep, and decreased performance. The duration of the attack is from 30 minutes to several days.

Migraine headache

Indicates only one disease – migraine, since the attacks of such cephalalgia have a peculiar character. Migraine pain is paroxysmal, throbbing, of moderate or severe intensity. It covers half of the head.

The pain may be aggravated by physical activity, tilting the head, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting.

Bright light, sharp sound, strong smell increase the pain. A migraine attack may be preceded by an aura lasting up to one hour – a collection of visual, auditory, olfactory or other neurological symptoms.
Headache associated with colds

Occurs with most acute and chronic diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract caused by bacteria or viruses. In some cases, the intensity of such cephalgia correlates with the severity of fever, the strength of the cough, sore throat and other symptoms. The pain most often spreads throughout the head.

Headache in chronic cerebral ischemia

ic brain injury). In the clinical picture of chronic cerebral ischemia, dizziness, cognitive decline, emotional lability (unstable mood), motor-coordination disorders, and perception disorders (tinnitus, “flies” before the eyes) become indispensable companions of headaches. Headaches are usually mild, distributed throughout the head, and prolonged.

Diagnostics and examinations

Tension headache and migraine headache, headache with colds

Diagnosis is made by a neurologist based on the analysis mnesia and evaluation of patient complaints.

Headache in chronic cerebral ischemia

The key radiological examination in chronic cerebral ischemia (ultrasound dopplerography of cerebral vessels)

Duplex scanning of the brachiocephalic arteries with color Doppler flow mapping

Examination to evaluate blood flow in the vertebral and carotid arteries.

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USG recognizes only relatively large stenoses of cerebral vessels caused by atherosclerotic plaques. CT

CT of the brain and skull

Scanning of the brain, skull and surrounding tissues, which allows diagnosing various pathologies.

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and MRI

CT of the brain and skull

Scanning of the brain, skull and surrounding tissues, which allows diagnosing various pathologies.

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Contrast injection

The contrast agent is administered intravenously.

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MRI of the brain

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also distinguish between extensive brain lesions due to strokes, but not finely diffuse foci characteristic of chronic cerebral ischemia. In chronic cerebral ischemia, conservative treatment is prescribed.

What should you do when you see one?


Pain is always a sign of a malfunction in the body. You can not tolerate pain or self-medicate. With regular headaches (more than five times a month), it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Tension headache

Relieve a pain attack with analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antispasmodics. It is important to remember that many analgesics cannot be taken in the presence of chronic diseases (in particular, with lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys). Indications and contraindications for the use of certain drugs should be discussed with your doctor.

Migraine headache

Patients with mild attacks are recommended to use NSAIDs and analgesics, with moderate and severe manifestations – specific anti-migraine drugs, which are prescribed by a neurologist after a comprehensive examination.

Cold headache

The main way to deal with such pain is to treat a cold.

Headache in chronic cerebral ischemia

An important aspect of therapy is the fight against atherosclerotic changes in the vessels and cerebral ischemia. It is also necessary to monitor the manifestations of concomitant diseases, for example, arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Which doctors should I contact?

Tension headache:

• to a neurologist, psychotherapist;

Migraine headache:

• see a neurologist,
  therapist

Headache with colds:

• k
  therapist, ENT doctor;

Headache in chronic cerebral ischemia:

• k
  neurologist, and
  cardiologist and
  endocrinologist.

Mandatory control of diseases included in the metabolic syndrome group: type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM 2), hypertension, obesity and atherosclerosis.

Treatment


Tension-type headache

Most patients with tension-type headache require therapy prescribed by a psychotherapist and a neurologist. It is also important to pay attention to relaxation and adequate physical activity.

Migraine headache

Treatment includes relief and prevention of attacks.

Headache with colds

Therapy is aimed at treating the underlying disease.

Headache in chronic cerebral ischemia

As a rule, most patients suffer from several diseases, each of which negatively affects the state of cerebral vessels. Thus, the most reliable way to stop the progression of chronic cerebral ischemia is to prevent complications of diseases that are part of the metabolic syndrome group (arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, etc.), which are dangerous in terms of worsening cerebral blood flow.
It is important to give up bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse, drug use) and follow a diet that includes a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and a minimum amount of trans fats.


If chronic ischemia is accompanied by hypertension or diabetes mellitus, daily monitoring of blood pressure and blood glucose levels is advisable. It is necessary to undergo laboratory and instrumental examinations with a certain frequency. You should visit a cardiologist and an endocrinologist at least once a year.

Once every three months, you should take a clinical

Clinical blood test: general analysis, leukoformula, ESR (with microscopy of a blood smear in the presence of pathological changes)

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and blood chemistry,

Blood chemistry: minimal profile

Up to 1 working day

Available with house call

3 990 RUB

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in which attention is paid to the level of glucose

Glucose (in the blood) (Glucose)

Research material

Serum or blood plasma. If it is not possible to centrifuge the sample 30 minutes after collection for serum/plasma separation…

Up to 1 working day

Available with house call

335 RUB

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glycated hemoglobin,

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1С, Glycated Hemoglobin)

Synonyms: Blood test for glycated hemoglobin. Glycohemoglobin; HbA1c; Hemoglobin A1c; A1c; HgbA1c; Hb1c.

Brief characteristics of the analyte Glycated hemo…

Up to 1 business day

Available with house call

820 RUB

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lipid metabolism indicators

Lipid profile: extended

Up to 1 working day

Available with house call

3 960 RUB

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and blood coagulation system,

Hemostasiogram (coagulogram), screening

Synonyms: Hemostasiogram, coagulogram.
Coagulation studies (coagulation profile, coag panel, coagulogram).
Profile Composition:
No. 2 Prothrombin (prothrombin time, prothrombin (according to Quick), INR …

Up to 1 working day

Available with house call

RUB 1,620

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it is also necessary to undergo an electrocardiographic study (ECG),

ECG in 5 minutes

Examination of the functional capabilities of the heart – quickly, painlessly and informatively.

RUB 1,790

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Echocardiography.

Echocardiography

Examination to assess functional and organic changes in the heart, its contractility, as well as the state of the valvular apparatus.

RUB 4,190

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If abnormalities occur, antidiabetic drugs, statins, or anticoagulants may be needed. Ultrasound should be performed at least twice a year

Duplex scanning of the brachiocephalic arteries with color Doppler flow mapping

Examination to evaluate blood flow in the vertebral and carotid arteries.

RUB 3,690

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to control the progression of atherosclerosis of cerebral and aortic vessels.

Sources:

1. Clinical guidelines “Migraine”. Developed by: All-Russian Society of Neurologists, Russian Society for the Study of Headache. – 2021.
2. Clinical guidelines “Acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) in adults.” Developed by: National Scientific Society of Infectionists, Russian Scientific Medical Society of Therapists. – 2021.

IMPORTANT!

The information in this section should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, only the attending physician should prescribe diagnostic tests. For diagnosis and proper treatment, you should contact your doctor.
For a correct assessment of the results of your analyzes over time, it is preferable to do studies in the same laboratory, since different laboratories may use different research methods and units of measurement to perform the same analyzes.

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