Headache: A Review

Abstract

Headache is the pain of any kind or discomfort in the head excluding the lower part of the face and including the upper part of the neck. Of all the painful states that afflict humans, headache is undoubtedly the most frequent and the most common reason for medical consultation. Epidemiology of headache in Bangladesh is not exactly known but statistics from several countries may reflect the burden of headache all over the world as well as in our country. About 40 million Americans suffer from severe HA annually. Classification of Headache disorders are Primary Headache Disorders Secondary Headache Disorders. Primary headache disorders includes Migraine, Tension type of headache (TTH), cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, and others (hypnic headache, primary thunderclap headache, hemicrania continua, new daily-persistent headache (NDPH). Tension-type of headache is the most common variety of headache with one year prevalence has been variably reported from 30%-90%. Migraine is a common, frequently incapacitating, headache disorder characterized by episodic attacks of moderate-to-severe headaches, and various combinations of neurological, gastrointestinal and/or autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Cluster headache (CH) is a strictly unilateral .headache that occurs in association with crania autonomic features and, in most patients, has a striking circadian periodicity. Treatment of tension type of headache includes reassurance, symptomatic, prophylactic. Symptomatic treatment comprises analgesics e.g. paracetamole, NSAID, anxiolytic e.g. diazepam, other benzodiagipine (BNZ). The patient with a headache often finds himself a medical orphan. He is fortunate indeed if his headache is transient, for other wise he may find himself on an excursion to the ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist, neurologist, dentist, psychiatrist, chiropractor, and the latest health spa.