Headache Warning Signs

Emergency causes of headaches

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• Problems with blood vessels and bleeding in the brain can cause a headache. These problems include:
• Abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain that usually forms before birth. This problem is called an arteriovenous malformation, or avm.
• Blood flow to part of the brain stops. This is called a stroke.
• Weakening of the wall of a blood vessel that can break open and bleed into the brain. This is known as a brain aneurysm.
• Bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissue that covers the brain. This is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Other causes of headaches that should be checked by a health care provider right away include:
• Blood pressure that is very high

Brain tumor

• Buildup of fluid inside the skull that leads to brain swelling (hydrocephalus)
• Buildup of pressure inside the skull that appears to be, but is not, a tumor (pseudotumor cerebri)
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Infection in the brain or the tissue that surrounds the brain, as well as a brain abscess
• Swollen, inflamed artery that supplies blood to part of the head, temple, and neck area (temporal arteritis)

When to call the doctor

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If you cannot see your provider right away, go to the emergency room or call 911 if:

• This is the first severe headache you have ever had in your life and it interferes with your daily activities.
• You develop a headache right after activities such as weightlifting, aerobics, jogging, or sex.
• Your headache comes on suddenly and is explosive or violent.
• Your headache is" the worst ever" even if you regularly get headaches.
• You also have slurred speech, a change in vision, problems moving your arms or legs, loss of balance, confusion, or memory loss with your headache.
• Your headache gets worse over 24 hours.
• You also have fever, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting with your headache.
• Your headache occurs with a head injury.
• Your headache is severe and just in 1 eye, with redness in that eye.
• You just started getting headaches, especially if your are older than 50.
• You have headaches along with vision problems and pain while chewing, or weight loss.
• You have a history of cancer and develop a new headache.
• Your immune system is weakened by disease (such as hiv infection) or by medicines (such as chemotherapy drugs and steroids).

See your provider soon if:

• Your headaches wake you up from sleep.
• A headache lasts more than a few days.
• Headaches are worse in the morning.
• You have a history of headaches but they have changed in pattern or intensity.
• You have headaches often and there is no known cause.