Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Headache

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Family Medicine

  • 175 Accesses

Abstract

Headache is a symptom, not a diagnosis. In addition to the “primary” headaches such as migraine, tension-type or cluster, numerous conditions can cause headaches. These secondary headaches can result from systemic conditions as well as pathology in the head and neck. The International Classification of Headaches provides diagnostic criteria for multiple types of headache (Table 1) [1]. “Mixed headaches” with elements of more than one headache category are common. Individuals may also experience more than one type of headache; for example, patients with migraine often also experience tension headaches, and migraine or tension headaches can transform into medication-overuse or chronic daily headache.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 849.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society. The international classification of headache disorders. 2nd ed. Cephalalgia. 2004;24(Suppl 1):1–160.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Vos T, Flaxman AD, Naghavi M, Michaud C, Ezzati M, Shibuya K, et al. Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380(9859):2163–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Steiner TJ, Stovner LJ, Katsarava Z, Lainez JM, Lampl C, Lanteri-Minet M, et al. The impact of headache in Europe: principal results of the Eurolight project. J Headache Pain. 2014;15:31. doi:10.1186/1129-2377-15-31.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Smitherman TA, Burch R, Sheikh H, Loder E. The prevalence, impact and treatment of migraine and severe headaches in the United States: a review of statistics from national surveillance studies. Headache. 2013;53:427–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Kalaydjian A, Merikangas K. Physical and mental comorbidity of headache in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Pyschosom Med. 2008;70:773–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lipton RB, Scher AL, Kolodner K, Liberman J, Steiner TJ, Stewart WF. Migraine in the United States: epidemiology and patterns of health care use. Neurology. 2002;58(6):885–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. MacGregor EA, Brandes J, Eikermann A. Migraine prevalence and treatment patterns: the global Migraine and Zolmitriptan Evaluation survey. Headache. 2003;43(1):19–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Fitzpatrick R, Hopkins A. Referrals to neurologists for headache not due to structural disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1981;44:1061–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. O’Dowd TC. Five years of heartsink patients in general practice. BMJ. 1988;297:528–30.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Elliot S, Kernick D. Why do GPs with a special interest in headache investigate headache presentations with neuroradiology and what do they find? J Headache Pain. 2011;12:625–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Goldstein LH, Seed PT, Clark LV, et al. Predictors of outcome in patients consulting their general practitioners for headache: a prospective study. Psychol Health. 2011;26(6):751–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Jensen R, Stovner LJ. Epidemiology and comorbidity of headache. Lancet Neurol. 2008;7:354–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Silberstein SD. Practice parameter: evidence-based guidelines for migraine headache (an evidence-based review): report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2000;55:754–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sandrini G, Friberg L, Coppola G, et al. Neurophysiological tests and neuroimaging procedures in non-acute headaches 2nd edition. Eur J Neurol. 2010;18(3):373–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Detsky ME, McDonald DR, Baerlocher MO, Tomlinson GA, McCory DC, Booth CM. Does this patient with headache have a migraine or need neuroimaging? JAMA. 2006;296(10):1274–83.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Douglas AC, Wippold FJ, Brodderick DF, et al. ACR appropriateness criteria headache. J Am Coll Radiol. 2014;11(7):657–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Frishberg BM, Rosenberg JH, Matchar DB et al. for US Headache Consortium Evidence-based guidelines in the primary care setting: neuroimaging in patients with non-acute headache. Available from American Academy of Neurology http://www.aan.com. Accessed Sept 2014.

  18. Becker L, Iverson DC, Reed FM, et al. Patients with new headache in primary care: a report from ASPN. J Fam Pract. 1988;27:41–7.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Sempere AP, Porta-Etessam J, Medrano V, et al. Neuroimaging in the evaluation of patients with non-acute headache. Cephalalgia. 2005;25(1):30–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Clarke C, Edwards J, Nicholl D, et al. Imaging results of the consecutive series of 530 new patients in the Birmingham headache service. J Neurol. 2010;257:1274–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Howard L, Wessely S, Leese M, et al. Are investigations anxiolytic or anxiogenic? A randomized controlled trial of neuroimaging to provide reassurance in chronic daily headache. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2005;76:1558–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Victor TW, Hu X, Campbell JC, Buse DC, Lipton RB. Migraine prevalence by age and sex in the United States: a life-span study. Cephalalgia. 2010;30(9):1065–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Stewart WF, Wood C, Reed ML, et al. Cumulative migraine incidence in women and men. Cephalalgia. 2008;28:1170–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Gilmore B, Michael M. Treatment of acute migraine. Am Fam Physician. 2011;83:271–80.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Evers S, Afra J, Frese A, et al. EFNS guidelines on the drug treatment of migraine-revised report of an EFNS task force. Eur J Neurol. 2009;16:968–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Minen MT, Tanev K, Friedman BW. Evaluation and treatment of migraine in the emergency room: a review. Headache. 2014;54:1131–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Diamond M, Cady R. Initiating and optimizing acute therapy for migraine: the role of patient-centered stratified care. Am J Med. 2005;118(S1):185–275.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Silberstein SD, Holland S, Freitag F, et al. Evidence-based guideline update: pharmacologic treatment for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Neurology. 2012;78:1337–45.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Holland S, Silberstein SD, Freitag F, et al. Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Neurology. 2012;78:1346–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Campbell JK, Penzien DB, Wall EM. Evidence-based guidelines for migraine headache: behavioral and physical treatments. http://tools.aan.com/professionals/practice/pdfs/gl0089.pdf. Accessed Sept 2014.

  31. May A, Leone M, Afra J, et al. EFNS guidelines on the treatment of cluster headache and other trigeminal-autonomic cephalalgias. Eur J Neurol. 2006;13:1066–77.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Bahra A, May A, Goadsby PJ. Cluster headache: a prospective clinical study with diagnostic implications. Neurology. 2002;58:354–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. May A. Diagnosis and clinical features of trigemino-autonomic headaches. Headache. 2013;53:1470–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Lynberg AC, Rasmussen BK, Jorgensen T, Jensen R. Prognosis of migraine and tension-type headache: a population-based follow-up study. Neurology. 2005;65:580–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Bendtsen L, Evers S, Linde M, et al. EFNS guideline on the treatment of tension-type headache – report of the EFNS task force. Eur J Neurol. 2010;17:1318–25.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Krishnan A, Silver N. Headache (chronic tension type). Clin Evid. 2009;7:1205. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907789/pdf/2009-1205.pdf. Accessed Sept 2014.

  37. Verhagen AP, Damen L, Berger MY, et al. Behavioral treatments of chronic tension-type headache in adults: are they beneficial? CNS Neurosci Ther. 2009;15:183–205.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Nestoriuc Y, Rief W, Martin A. Meta-analysis of biofeedback for tension-type headache: efficacy, specificity, and treatment moderators. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008;76:379–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Mork H, Jensen R. Prognosis of tension-type headache: a 10-year follow-up study of patient with frequent tension-type headache. Cephalalgia. 2000;20:434.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Evers S, Jensen R. Treatment of medication overuse headache-guideline of the EFNS headache panel. Eur J Neurol. 2011;18:115–21.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Munksgaard SB, Jensen RH. Medication overuse headache. Headache. 2014;54(7):1251–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Dodick DW. Chronic daily headache. N Engl J Med. 2006;345:158–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Resources for Patients

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, 1010 N. Kansas, 67214-3199, Wichita, KS, USA

    Anne Walling

Authors
  1. Anne Walling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Walling .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

    Paul M. Paulman

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

    Robert B. Taylor

  3. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

    Audrey A. Paulman

  4. Department of Family Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

    Laeth S. Nasir

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this entry

Cite this entry

Walling, A. (2017). Headache. In: Paulman, P., Taylor, R., Paulman, A., Nasir, L. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04414-9_70

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04414-9_70

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-04413-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-04414-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation