Headache
Medical Author:
Dennis Lee, MD
Medical Editors:
Harley I. Kornblum, MD, PhD,
Jay W. Marks, MD
What is a headache?
Headache is defined as pain in the head that is located above the eyes or the
ears, behind the head (occipital), or in the back of the upper neck. Headache,
like chest pain or dizziness, has many causes.
What are the causes of headaches?
There are two types of headaches: primary headaches and secondary headaches.
Primary headaches are not associated with (caused by) other diseases. Examples
of primary headaches are migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster
headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by associated disease. The associated
disease may be minor or serious and life threatening.
How common are primary and secondary headaches?
Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache; as many as
90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches are
more common among women than men.
Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache. An
estimated 28 million people in the United States (about 12% of the population)
will experience migraine headaches. Migraine headaches affect children as well
as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine
headaches, but after puberty, more women than men are affected. An estimated 6%
of men and up to 18% of women will experience a migraine headache.
In the United States, migraine headaches often go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed
as tension or sinus headaches. As a result, many migraine sufferers do not
receive effective treatment.
Cluster headaches are a rare type primary headache, affecting 0.1% of the
population. An estimated 85% of cluster headache sufferers are men. The average
age of cluster headache sufferers is 28-30 years, although headaches may begin
in childhood.
Secondary headaches have diverse causes, ranging from serious and life
threatening conditions such as brain tumors, strokes, meningitis, and
subarachnoid hemorrhages to less serious but common conditions such as
withdrawal from caffeine and discontinuation of analgesics.
Many people suffer from "mixed" headache disorders in which tension
headaches or secondary headaches trigger migraine headaches.
Next: What are the symptoms of tension headaches? »
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