Nature of Headache

doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.1979.hed1903163.x

Paper

Nature of Headache

Published Apr 1, 1979 · A. Friedman

Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain

20

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2

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Abstract

Attention is given in this presentation to certain observations on the nature of headache. Mankind's long experience with headache has provoked much speculation about its nature and management. Headache would appear to be one of the oldest sufferings of mankind, because we find references to it in mythology. The dictionary defines headache, or cephalalgia, as pain in the head. In accordance with common usage, the term is here applied to discomfort, usually painful, in any portion of the upper head, from the orbits back to the suboccipital area. Most headaches are self-limiting and stop after treatment or (in time) after no treatment at all. In the days of the Roman Empire, headaches were believed to be inflicted by the gods upon those who incurred their divine displeasure. In 1890 the common cause of headache was bad air; in 1910 it was focal infection; in 1920 it was need for eyeglasses; in 1930 it was sinusitis or allergy; in 1940 it was stretching the meninges or gallbladder disease; in 1950 the prime cause was tension headache; in the early 1970s it was diet or depression, and in the past few years it has become an immunological disorder.

Study Snapshot

Key takeawayHeadache is a self-limited pain in the upper head, with various causes over time, and is often treated with medication or no treatment at all.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Nature of Headache

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