Characteristics of the various types of traction and inflammatory

headaches vary by disorder
•Brain tumor:
Brain tumors are diagnosed in about 11,000 people every year.
As they grow, these tumors sometimes cause headache by pushing on the
outer layer of nerve tissue that covers the brain or by pressing against pain-
sensitive blood vessel walls. Headache resulting from a brain tumor may be
periodic or continuous. Typically, it feels like a strong pressure is being
applied to the head. The pain is relieved when the tumor is destroyed by
surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
•
Stroke:
Headache may accompany several conditions that can lead to stroke,
including hypertension or high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and heart
disease. Headaches are also associated with completed stroke, when brain
cells die from lack of sufficient oxygen.
Careful management of the patient’s condition through diet, exercise, and
medication can prevent many stroke-related headaches.
Mild to moderate headaches are associated with transient ischemic attacks
(TIA's), sometimes called "mini-strokes”, which result from a temporary lack
of blood supply to the brain. The head pain occurs near the clot or lesion that
blocks blood flow. The similarity between migraine and symptoms of TIA can
cause problems in diagnosis. The rare person under age 40 who suffers a TIA
may be misdiagnosed as having migraine; similarly, TIA-prone older patients
who suffer migraine may be misdiagnosed as having stroke-related headaches.
•Head trauma:
Headaches may develop after a blow to the head, either
immediately or months later. There is little relationship between the severity
of the trauma and the intensity of headache pain. One cause of trauma
headache is scar formation in the scalp. Another is ruptured blood vessels
which result in an accumulation of blood called a hematoma. This mass of
blood can displace brain tissue and cause headaches as well as weakness,
confusion, memory loss, and seizures. Hematomas can be drained to produce
rapid relief of symptoms.
•Arteritis and meningitis:
Arteritis, an inflammation of certain arteries in the
head, primarily affects people over age 50. Symptoms include throbbing
headache, fever, and loss of appetite. Some patients experience blurring or
loss of vision. Headaches are also caused by infections of meninges, the
brain's outer covering, and phlebitis, a vein inflammation.
•Trigeminal neuralgia:
A nerve condition of the trigeminal facial nerve,
marked by sudden spasms of flashing, stab like pain moving along the course
of a branch of the nerve from the angle of the jaw. It is caused by breakdown
of the nerve or by pressure on it. Any of the three branches of the nerve may
be affected. Severe, sharp pain (neuralgia) of the first branch results in pain
around the eyes and over the forehead; of the second branch, in pain in the
upper lip, nose, and cheek; of the third branch, in pain on the side of the
tongue and the lower lip. The quick bursts of pain happen again in clusters
lasting many seconds; periods of sharp painful spasms may last for hours.

This nerve supplies the face, teeth, mouth, and nasal cavity with feeling and
also enables the mouth muscles to chew.
•Sinus Infection:
In a condition called acute sinusitis, a viral or bacterial
infection of the upper respiratory tract spreads to the membrane, which lines
the sinus cavities. When one or all four of these cavities are filled with
bacterial or viral fluid, they become inflamed, causing pain and sometimes
headache. Chronic sinusitis may be caused by an allergy to such irritants as
dust, ragweed, animal hair, and smoke. (
SEE