Headaches are annoying and painful conditions that can occur anywhere and at any time. Generally they are not grave and occur from stress, sinus, and tension. It becomes a problem when you have to separate between dangerous and non-dangerous headaches which are sporadic, but require immediate attention.
A headache that is severe, insistent or linked with other symptoms such as vomiting is a cautionary signal to a dangerous problem. Before you ignore a serious, urgent headache you should know when to see a doctor.
1 Thunderclap headaches
Similar to their names, thunderclap headaches cause pain all of a sudden and these severe headaches peaks within 60 seconds and can start declining after an hour. Some thunderclap headaches, however, can last for more than a week.
Thunderclap headaches are often a warning sign of possibly life-threatening situations, usually linked to bleeding in and around the brain. Therefore it’s extremely vital to seek emergency medical attention if you experience a thunderclap headache.
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2 Headache after an injury
If and when you develop a headache after having a head injury you need medical attention immediately. This is called a post traumatic headache and it might indicate that you are having a concussion so you need to consult a doctor. Even an unassuming small injury to the head can cause bleeding in the brain resulting in skull pressure or headache.
Though headache that immediately follows a head injury commonly clears after minutes or days, but sometimes such headaches may persevere for months or rarely years. Headaches may follow a moderate or severe injury to the brain such as a concussion or laceration.
Immediately seek medical attention of the headaches continue for a long time and become gradually intense.
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3 Headache gets worse when walking
There cannot be anything worse than going to bed with a headache and waking up with an even worse headache. And it becomes serious when such types of headaches cause vomiting, which is a very dangerous condition.
These headaches become much worse, if the patient is made to walk for even a few steps and they immediately vomit due to the walking. Essentially walking or sitting upright causes headaches and results in vomit.
If the regular headache drugs do not help, and the headache keeps increasing with walking and exercising, the matter keeps getting serious. Immediately seek emergency medical attention as this type of headache may be an indication of a brain tumor.
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4 The worst headache of your life
Debilitating pain in the head or upper neck is one of common locations in the body and is credited to many causes. The term “worst headache of your life” is found in medical textbooks to describe the pain related with a subarachnoid haemorrhage triggered by a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.
This type of headache occurs while the person is lying still and is associated with a rigid neck; the patient has trouble enduring light in a room, vomiting and confusion. Typically the first headache is a warning sign. The first subarachnoid haemorrhage is not fatal.
If instant medical attention is pursued, the aneurysm can be identified and surgically mended. But if the symptom is unnoticed, the next bleed can be fatal.
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5 Sudden headaches
Sudden onset of headaches come with accompanying severe pain, loss of feeling on one side of the body, weakness of the arms, legs and face. The patient also experiences loss of balance, senses trouble in talking or walking and struggling to see on one or both eyes.
All these symptoms are a strong indicator of an oncoming heart attack or stroke. A person who experiences these symptoms must seek immediate emergency medical attention.
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6 Unusual headache
Some of the indicators of headaches which feel weird are severity of the headaches, location and frequency of the headaches. The headaches become worse gradually worse and the person experiences vision and speech difficulties.
Also headaches after jogging, sex or weight lifting and such headaches can also cause memory loss, unevenness, confusion and inability to move the extremities easily. Indicators like fever, vomiting and nausea along with the headaches can be cause of something very serious.
If you experience some of these symptoms or all of the symptoms, immediately contact your doctor for medical assistance.
