Headache is a common term used to refer to pain or discomfort in one or more areas of the head, face or upper neck. Headaches can be chronic, acute or recurrent, with varying types and intensities of pain. Severe headache pain is subjective, but might best be identified as being extremely disruptive to normal daily activities. Severe headache pain, although debilitating, is rarely caused by serious or life-threatening conditions.
Vascular Causes
Abnormal vasodilation or vasoconstriction of blood vessels cause inappropriate blood flow, which can lead to severe headache pain often described as pounding, throbbing or pulsating.
Migraines are vascular headaches and are the second most common type of headache after tension headaches. An estimated 28 million people in America suffer from migraines, which includes children and adults. Migraines can be triggered by stress, flashes of light, toxicity and food allergies.
Cluster headaches are a rare type of vascular headache affecting mainly men that produce an extremely sharp "ice-pick" pain, often around one eye, that occurs several times per day for weeks at a time.
Infection Causes
Bacterial or viral infections of the brain or its surrounding tissues are not only quite painful, but also life-threatening. Although the brain tissue itself does not generate pain signals, meningitis, encephalitis and brain abscesses can all cause severe headaches, often described as relentless and burning. Frontal sinus infections, although not gravely serious, often cause severe, sharp facial and head pain.
Traumatic Causes
Experiencing trauma to the head can produce different types and intensities of pain depending on what structures are damaged or what processes are affected. Skull fractures can produce severe headaches. Inflammation can increase intracranial pressure, which can cause severe, vice-like headaches. Post Concussion Syndrome can be severe and includes recurrent, pounding headaches made worse with exertion or activity. Damage to nerves such as the facial and trigeminal nerves can produce severe, electric-like pain in and around the head. Inflammation of the temporal artery can cause temporal arteritis and severe, pounding pain in the temple region of the head.
Cervical Causes
Dysfunction or injury to the neck region can cause a severe cervicogenic headache, meaning posterior head pain originating from the neck. Severe arthritis, whiplash, fractures and nerve root impingements can all cause severe pain of varying types.
Other Causes
Other potential causes of severe headache pain may include brain tumors, brain aneurysms, severe hypertension, cancer such as Paget's Disease, severe dehydration, alcohol poisoning and even the infamous, albeit temporary, "brain freeze" from drinking cold fluids.
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci, et al; 2008
- "Headache Help: A Complete Guide to Understanding Headaches and the Medications That Relieve Them"; Lawrence Robbins M.D. et al; 2000
- "The Mechanism and Management of Headache"; James W. Lance M.D. et al; 2000
- The National Institute of Health: Headache Classifications
