Headache

A guide to headache causes and treatments

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Headache is a symptom

Headache is one of the commonest symptoms experienced by human beings - indeed it is unusual not to have at least occasional headaches. Several large studies have found that 80 to 90 per cent of the general population say they have had at least one headache in the previous year. When we say it is a symptom, we mean that it is not a disease in itself, but a change which we notice in the body that can in some cases be a sign of
a problem or disease. Most headaches prove to be entirely harmless and are best treated with ordinary painkillers, but headache is still the commonest single reason for which patients are referred by their GPs to neurological outpatient clinics.
Although headaches are generally harmless in themselves, they are very occasionally a pointer to a serious disease, and this is why so many people are concerned enough to seek advice from their GPs. A proportion of these are referred to neurological clinics for further assessment and possibly investigation. It is the role of the doctor, both in general and specialist practice, to make a clear diagnosis and initiate either further investigations or appropriate treatment.

One of the purposes of this booklet is to offer information about the circumstances in which medical care might be needed. Many readers will already have seen their GP and a number will also have seen a neurologist, who may have given them a specific diagnosis - in which case many of the earlier chapters may not be particularly relevant. We will also describe the main types of primary, or non-life threatening headache and explain how they are treated.
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