Doctors Sift All Kinds Of Data To Find The Causes Of Headaches

April 19, 1989|By Allan Bruckheim.

Q-I have frequent headaches. They don`t affect me so much that I have to lie down, but because they occur so often, I`m beginning to worry about a brain tumor. Since there is nothing to see, can a doctor really help me discover the cause of my problem?

A-Fortunately, a doctor has many tools for diagnosing your problem. When you show up for your appointment, the first procedure you should prepare for is to be able to give the doctor a complete history of your complaints. Your doctor will want to know where your head hurts, how long the pain lasts, what type of pain you feel, how often the headache occurs, what time they usually start and any factors that may set them off.

You`ll also be asked how old you were when the headaches started, whether the headaches have gotten worse, whether you can feel an attack coming on and whether your headaches are accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or an abnormal sensitivity to light. It`s also important that you note whether your headaches force you to stop whatever you`re doing and whether there are any particular actions that make the pain better or worse.

To uncover any underlying medical conditions, your doctor runs through a number of important questions about other parts of your body. He may ask whether you find that your eyes are red or your vision is blurred. This might indicate glaucoma. If there`s a history of hypertension in your family, undetected high blood pressure may be the cause of your problem. Fever, nausea or diarrhea-signs of a recent infection-also can be a clue to a diagnosis. And if you`ve been confused, irritable or have had seizures, a fever, or a stiff neck, meningitis may be at work.

Of course, not all headaches have physical causes, and so your doctor will desire to know about any stressful situations, anxiety or depression that you face in your everyday life. Even something as simple as clenching your teeth can bring on a type of headache commonly known temporomandibular joint syndrome, characterized by a pain that starts in front of the ear and radiates towards the temple and down the side of the neck.

Once your medical history is out of the way, a physical exam is in order. Since there are many causes of headaches, your doctor will want to check you thoroughly.

If a medical history and an exam are not enough to make a clear diagnosis, your doctor will order lab tests. A CT scan, for example, may reveal many problems within the skull itself.

As you can see, a headache doesn`t have to mean a tumor.