University of Health Sciences: ‘Women more likely to get tension headaches’

Danish expert gives lecture on headaches.

LAHORE:

Headaches are the most common medical cause of pain and disability and affect millions of people worldwide every day, said Dr Faisal Amin, a researcher from the Danish Headache Centre, University of Copenhagen, in a lecture here at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Tuesday.

Headaches without evident cause present an often puzzling situation in regard to diagnosis, treatment and understanding by both the afflicted individual and the physician, said Dr Amin in the lecture organised by the UHS and the National Academy of Young Scientists.

“Primary headache disorders are often overlooked and misunderstood as ‘acceptable’, frequent maladies which should not affect work,” he said. Though not life-threatening, these headaches could affect the quality of life, he said.

Dr Amin said the primary types included migraine, tension and cluster headaches. “Tension headaches are the most common type and up to 90 per cent of adults have had or will have a tension headache,” he said. These headaches occur most commonly among women.

Dr Amin said that with a tension headache, one feels like there is a tight band around the head. It usually causes mild to moderate pain on both sides of the head and may be triggered by stress, neck strain, depression or anxiety. It can last from 30 minutes to 7 days, he said. “These types of headaches can be easily treated with over-the-counter medications, including aspirin, ibuprofen, etc, or through meditation or massage,” he added.

Migraines affect three times more women than men. They are accompanied by nausea, vomiting or increased sensitivity to light or sound. They usually affect one side of the head and typically last from 4 to 72 hours, Dr Amin said. He said treatment of migraines aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing additional attacks.

A large number of postgraduate students and faculty members attended the lecture.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2012.