All You Need to Know About a Vascular Headache
A Some bouts of Vascular headache treatment never arrives with a warning. Sometimes you experience it in the form of dull pain. At other times, its intensity might terrify you. Several factors play a role in the frequency of your headaches. Some of them are excess stress, lack of sleep, indigestion, and an unhealthy lifestyle devoid of physical movement.
Vascular headache is a term used for a group of different types of headaches, migraine being the most prominent of them. Interestingly, it occurs more in women than in men.
Different Types of Vascular Headaches
Given below are the different types of headaches that comprise vascular headache.
Migraine
Cluster headache
Exertional headache
Headache caused by ingesting toxic chemicals
Illness-related headache
All these headaches involve the swelling of blood vessels which changes their pulsation. Hence, you experience pain that is called a headache. The icd 10 code for vascular headache as per icd10data.com is G.44.1 (https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/G00-G99/G40-G47/G44-/G44.1).
What are Vascular Headache Symptoms
Man feeling unwell, Credits: Pixabay
As we already know, migraine is one of the commonly experienced vascular headaches. There are numerous symptoms associated with its onset. They are:
Sudden mood swings
Sensitivity to sound smells, and light
blurred vision
Nausea
Appetite loss
Increasing intensity of pain
Apart from migraine, vascular headache also includes another type of headache called the cluster headache. This type of headache, which commonly occurs on only one side of the head, is one of the most painful kinds.
Symptoms of cluster headache
Cluster headaches occur with a high frequency and can last upto 3 hours, in most severe cases. They can even arrive multiple times in the course of the same day. The patients show the following symptoms.
Throbbing pain on any one side of the head or around one eye
Anxiousness
Redness on the eye located near the source of pain
Irritation in the nostrils of the affected side
Excessive tearing and sweating
Swelling of the eye
Sometimes sensitivity to sound and light can also be experienced
How Can Vascular Headache be Diagnosed?
stethoscope and a pen, Credit: Pixabay
Vascular headaches are diagnosed by the symptoms described above and taking into account other patient information like:
Timing of the headache
The area where the pain usually occurs
An explanation of the pain by the patient
The time period of the pain
The frequency with which the headache occurs
Additionally, tests like x-rays, blood tests, MRIs, and CT scans are also used to effectively diagnose the vascular headache.
How Can Vascular Headache be Treated?
Doctor prescribing medicine, Credits: Pixabay
Vascular headache treatment varies according to the particular characteristics of the symptoms. Therapies and medications are usually prescribed by doctors to patients dealing with these kinds of headache. Additionally, a stress-free lifestyle along with a healthy diet, exercise routine, and adequate rest is recommended. There are various ways of vascular headache treatment. These include:
Biofeedback therapy, i.e, gaining greater control and awareness of bodily functions.
Diet modifications
Physical and pressure therapy
Cold packs and cool compress treatment
Medicines like ibuprofen, paracetamol, and aspirin
Migraines can be treated at home by lying down in a quiet and dark place and putting a cool compress on your forehead.
Although quite painful, a vascular headache can be managed by reaching out to a medical professional and taking their help. Moreover, the importance of a healthy diet, lifestyle, and ample rest should not be ignored.
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