Headaches Flashcards
What is a cluster headache?
Cluster headaches are are a series of headaches, typically occurring in men, that are intense, recurring, felt near one eye, and often associated with nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and watering of the affected eye. They typically occur 1 or 2 hr after the patient has fallen asleep, last for about 45 min, and recur daily for several weeks before spontaneous resolution. The cause of the headaches is unknown, but their recurrence during certain seasons of the year and certain times of day may suggest a circadian or chronobiological mechanism.
Treatment:Medications that alleviate cluster headaches include corticosteroids, ergotamines, gabapentin, lithium, melatonin, NSAIDs, sumatriptan and other -triptan drugs, and high-flow oxygen. Surgery is sometimes used to cut affected nerves.
What is a tension headache?
A tension headache is a headache associated with chronic contraction of the muscles of the neck and scalp.
What is a thunderclap headache?
A thunderclap headache is a sudden, severe headache that reaches maximal intensity within seconds. Common causes include subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral aneurysm, arterial dissection, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Its absence does not rule out intracranial hemorrhage.
What is a migraine?
A migraine a familial disorder marked by periodic, usually unilateral, pulsatile headaches that begin in childhood or early adult life and tend to recur with diminishing frequency in later life.
Symptoms: Migraine consists of two closely related syndromes: classic migraine (migraine with aura) and common migraine (migraine without aura). The classic type may begin with aura, which consists of episodes of well-defined, transient focal neurologic dysfunction that develops over the course of several minutes and may last as long as an hour. Visual symptoms include teichopsia, seeing stripes, spots, lines, and scotomata. In most people, the aura precedes the headache; occasionally, however, the aura will appear or recur at the height of the headache. Before the onset of symptoms, some people experience mood changes, fatigue, difficulty in thinking, depression, sleepiness, hunger, thirst, frequent urination, or altered libido. Others report a feeling of well-being, increased energy, clarity of thought, and increased appetite, especially for sweets. The headache follows. Pain is usually confined to one side but is occasionally bilateral. Nausea and vomiting may be present and may last a few hours or for as long as two days. Common migraine has a similar onset with or without nausea. Sensitivity to light and noice is present in both types.
Venes, Donald. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (p. 1552). F.A. Davis Company. Kindle Edition.
