Most headaches are fairly simple to deal with. They come from excessive tension and, although painful, rarely last more than a few hours. They respond well to over the counter medications. Even migraine headaches are better understood these days and can be treated with a variety of medications and lifestyle changes.

There are some headaches, though, that are signals of much more serious underlying conditions.

Symptoms of a Potentially Dangerous Headache -

Certain symptoms accompany headaches that are most likely to be dangerous.

¢ The headache comes on suddenly and produces severe pain

¢ Vision changes, confusion, numbness or loss of consciousness accompany the headache

¢ The headache starts after a blow to the head

¢ Convulsions are experienced

¢ It wakes you in the middle of the night

¢ It repeats in the same spot often

While some of these symptoms constitute a 9-1-1 emergency, such as the convulsions or confusion, others can be dealt with in the morning at your doctor's office. Still, they are serious enough conditions to require prompt medical follow up.

An Unusual Cause for Severe Headaches -

For most people the glaucoma develops slowly and regular eye doctor visits prevent serious complications. For others, glaucoma can come on quite fast. For the blind, the changes associated with vision are lacking as an important clue.

A case in point is that of New York Governor David Patterson. After assuming office he was plagued by intense, unidentifiable headaches. When a battery of tests couldn't identify a factor someone finally thought to perform an eye exam. It turned out he had acute glaucoma.

How was this missed? Patterson is blind, and no one thought to check his eyes, something that would have happened much sooner if he was sighted. Fortunately, once the source of his pain was found it was easily and quickly treated.

Aneurysm Headaches -

I don't know anyone who suffers from terrible headaches who doesn't worry, from time to time, that their headache might be the result of an aneurysm. An aneurysm is a bulge that occurs in a brain blood vessel at a weakened area of the tissue. While the aneurysm itself may lie dormant for years and cause no pain, when it begins to leak it produces remarkably painful headaches called subarachnoid hemorrhage headaches.

This is a medical emergency. If untreated a leak will turn into a rupture and that is an often-fatal situation. If caught in time, though, most aneurysms are treated successfully with a minimum of fuss, barring the whole concept of brain surgery.

Headaches caused by Brain Tumors -

There is no type of headache directly associated with brain tumors. There are no classic symptoms. A brain tumor is more likely to present itself with other symptoms: confusion, seizures and the like. If a headache is present it is most likely to appear directly above the tumor site, but headaches are more commonly associated with metastatic brain lesions.

Fortunately, most headaches are relatively benign. A few hours, some over the counter medication and learning to manage your stress better is all most people need to overcome head pain. If you do recognize yourself in any of the above symptoms, don't hesitate to make an appointment with your doctor or head to the ER. Better safe than sorry.