Vascular headache
Encyclopedia
A vascular headache is an outdated term to describe certain types of headache
which were thought to be related to blood vessel
swelling and hyperemia as cause of the pain
.
There is no doubt that some headaches are caused by vascular effects. However, it is no longer a recognized term and not mentioned in the Headache classification of the International Headache society (IHS), although it is still used by some physicians and still mentioned in some medical classification systems.
Headaches that were described as being vascular headaches include:
Headache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
which were thought to be related to blood vessel
Blood vessel
The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
swelling and hyperemia as cause of the pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
.
There is no doubt that some headaches are caused by vascular effects. However, it is no longer a recognized term and not mentioned in the Headache classification of the International Headache society (IHS), although it is still used by some physicians and still mentioned in some medical classification systems.
Headaches that were described as being vascular headaches include:
- Cluster headacheCluster headacheCluster headache, nicknamed "suicide headache", is a neurological disease that involves, as its most prominent feature, an immense degree of pain in the head. Cluster headaches occur periodically: spontaneous remissions interrupt active periods of pain. The cause of the disease is currently unknown...
- MigraineMigraineMigraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
- Toxic headacheToxic headacheHeadaches can be attributed to many different substances. Some of these include alcohol, NO, carbon monoxide poisoning, cocaine, and MSG. Chronic use of certain medications used to treat headaches can also start causing headaches, known as medication overuse headaches...