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Introduction
Persistent headaches may sometimes get so annoying that many patients seek advice on how to get rid of it permanently. Some headaches are disabling but treatable (migraine, cluster headache) while others herald sinister diseases (brain tumors) or warrant immediate action (meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhages, giant cell arteritis).
A classification system developed by the International Headache Society characterizes headache as primary or secondary.
Primary:
- Migraine (16%)
- Tension-type (69%)
- Cluster (0.1%)
- Idiopathic-stabbing (2%)
- Exertional (1%)
Secondary:
- Systemic infection (e.g. URTI, meningitis) (63%)
- Head injury (4%)
- Vascular Disorders (1%)
- Subarachnoid hemorrhages (<1%)
- Brain Tumor (0.1%)
- Glaucoma
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