Headaches - Causes

Some headaches are signals of serious medical disorders including brain tumor, stroke, head trauma, sinus infection, and meningitis and require prompt medical care.  Some warning signs are:

• Sudden severe headache
• Headache accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness
  
• Headache following a blow on the head
• Headache associated with pain in the eye or ear
• Persistent headache in a person who was previously headache free
  
• Headache associated with fever or convulsions

Other headaches may be:

• vascular (eg. migraine, cluster), thought to be caused by abnormal function of blood vessels
• muscle contraction (tension), thought to be caused by sustained muscle tension
• cervicogenic (from the neck), thought to be the result of trauma to the neck
  

Some headaches result from missed meals, dehydration or occasional muscle tension and don't require medical attention.

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See also headaches in children and what is a headache?