So you experience a headache more than once a week. Do not ignore it thinking that it is due to work stress as a headache could be indicative of a more severe condition. Dr Amit Dahiya tells you signs that your headache could be a medical emergency.
Fever accompanies your headache: Do not ignore the problem if a fever accompanies it as it could indicate a brain infection like meningitis. It could also indicate encephalitis, inflammation of the brain.
The pain changes its tune: If your headache feels both severe and different from what you experience regularly, you should get to your doctor as it could signal an aneurysm (a bulging, weak area in the artery wall that supplies blood to the brain).
You get a sudden splitting headache: If your headache comes on suddenly like a thunderclap or like someone hitting you with a hammer, it could be a subarachnoid haemorrhage or bleeding within the brain. Have someone to take you to the hospital immediately.
The ache concentrates in your temples: Usually, the area of a headache is not an indication of anything scary, but if you are above 50 and your headache is focused on your temples, you could be suffering from temporal arteries (a condition where the arteries in your temples get inflamed.
The ache is around and behind your eyes: If eye pain accompanies a headache, it could be a sign of acute glaucoma. It is the buildup of pressure in your eye that cuts off blood flow and leads to blindness.
Your headache is contagious: If you are experiencing an unusual headache and your family and co-workers are complaining of a headache, it could be a sign of carbon dioxide poisoning. Have your home or your workplace inspected for a carbon dioxide leak.
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