Headache/Migraine - Symptoms

Tension headaches
- Tension headaches start gradually. They usually occur over the top of head and extend to the base of skull. You may experience tension headaches occasionally, constantly, or nearly everyday. The pain is usually mild to moderately intense. People with tension headaches may feel dull pain all over but they usually do not associate with nausea, vomiting, visual disturbance, slurred speech, or abdominal pain. Pain may last for minutes to several days. It may be triggered by or get worse with stress, fatigue, noise, or physical illness.

Other symptoms of Tension Headaches include:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Chronic fatigue
- Irritability
- Disturbed concentration
- Mild sensitivity to light or sound
- General muscle aching

Migraines
- Migraines are characterized by severe, throbbing pain on both sides of the head. Aura, or vision disturbances are considered a warning sign that usually develop about 10-15 minutes before the headache attack.  The aura occurs in both eyes and may result in blurred vision, eye pain, seeing flashes of light, various shapes, and tunnel vision. However, not every person with migraines has an aura and symptoms may vary between different individuals.

Other symptoms that may occur with migraines include:
- Sensitivity to light, sound or odors
- Increased urination
- Fatigue or weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stomach upset or abdominal pain
- Problems concentrating, trouble finding words
- Paleness and dizziness

- Symptoms may linger even after the migraine has gone away. Patients with migraine sometimes call this a migraine "hangover." A small percentage of pediatric migraines include recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms, in which vomiting is most common. Cyclic vomiting usually occurs about once a month and it is sometimes called the abdominal migraines.

Mixed headache syndrome:
The symptoms for mixed headache syndrome are similar to the tension-type and migraine headaches which include:
- May feel dull, tight around the head
- Pain may get worse with activity or exercise
- May last 4 - 72 hours but duration varies between different individuals
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Irritability
- Numbness and weakness
- Neck pain

Clustered headache
- Cluster headaches occur in cyclical patterns in which they strike abruptly, usually without any warning.

Typical signs and symptoms include:

- Sharp, burning and constant pain, generally located in or around the eye
- Pain on one side of the head
- Restlessness
- Excessive tearing around the nose and the eyes
- Redness in the eye of the affected side and swelling on the face
- Stuffy or runny nasal passage in the nostril
- Pale, sweaty skin
- Swelling around the eye on the affected side of your face
- Reduced pupil size

Sinus headache
- Sinus headaches are characterized as the secondary headaches in which occur in response to another medical condition as a result of a head injury, trauma, tumor, or other kinds of accidents involving the brain. Sinus headaches are usually associated with constant and deep pain marked by pressure around the face, cheekbones, and forehead. The pain usually intensifies during a steep and sudden head or facial movement. People with sinus headache usually feel pain while bending, learning forward or blowing the nose. They will most likely experience mucus discharge in which mucus accumulate in the back of your throat as if you are suffering from flu. For a more serious case, people will have prolonged running nose and sore throat known as a condition called pharyngitis, which is caused by the accumulation of mucus in the nostrils. Pain will also be aggravated when there is a sharp and sudden change in external temperature.

Other symptoms with sinus infection include:
- Fever, chills, or muscle pain
- Greenish-yellow nasal discharge
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Severe sore throat and ear infection

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