{"id":7193,"date":"2026-03-29T23:59:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7193"},"modified":"2026-03-29T23:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:59:14","slug":"when-to-worry-about-a-headache-doctors-reveal-four-instances-when-the-pain-is-more-than-just-an-annoyance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7193","title":{"rendered":"When to worry about a headache&#8230; doctors reveal four instances when the pain is more than just an annoyance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">For most people, headaches are a minor inconvenience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Nearly all Americans have had at least one headache in their life, and half get one at least once a year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Additionally, about 12 to 15 percent of the population &#8211; <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-14579791\/migraines-surprising-cure-effects-doctor-free.html\">roughly 40 million people<\/a> &#8211; suffers from migraines, which are severe, recurring headaches often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">There are dozens of causes, ranging from poor posture to intense odors or sounds to dietary indulgences like red wine and chocolate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In most cases, headaches and migraines can be beaten with over-the-counter pain medication, rest and other therapies like ice packs and heating pads. They also usually are not a sign of more serious, potentially life-threatening conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, in rare cases, there are life-threatening conditions that can manifest as intense, debilitating headaches, which require seeking immediate medical help.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Along with the severe pain, life-threatening conditions can also come with rapid blindness, dizziness and stiffness in the neck that radiates throughout the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Experts have revealed the four dangerous headache types that could be deadly without quick treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-4d3d241e08396889\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/17\/17\/107211017-15653877-image-a-1_1773768341366.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Experts have revealed the four causes of headaches that could require immediate medical attention (stock image)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Experts have revealed the four causes of headaches that could require immediate medical attention (stock image)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe data-xpmodule-iframe-resizable=\"\" scrolling=\"no\" name=\"xp-iframe-mncf1rq7aa1dyindwgu\" class=\"iframe-creator \" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/html_modules\/Annie\/tests\/240905-healthsubheading-finalversion\/index.html\" allow=\"clipboard-write\" height=\"45\" style=\"border: 0; width: 0; min-width: 100%; \" id=\"xp-iframe-mncf1rq7aa1dyindwgu\"><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>    <\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Acute angle-closure glaucoma\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG) occurs when the iris &#8211; the colored, muscular part of the eye between the cornea and the front of the lens &#8211; suddenly bulges and blocks fluid in the eye from draining.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The fluid, called aqueous humor, is necessary for maintaining eye pressure and supporting the shape of the eye. If it&#8217;s blocked, intraocular pressure in the eye builds up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;This causes a rapid rise in intraocular pressure which can damage the optic nerve and even result in permanent vision loss,&#8217; Jimmy Pang, a <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pangphysicaltherapy.com\/\">physical therapist in San Diego<\/a> who specializes in headache and vestibular disorders, told the Daily Mail.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The eye&#8217;s natural lens thickens over time with aging and pushes against the iris, blocking drainage passages.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Being over 40 raises the risk, as well as having conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, which damage tiny blood vessels that nourish the eye&#8217;s retina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">About one in 1,000 Americans suffer from AACG each year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">AACG comes on quickly, often within just a few hours, and leads to headache, severe eye pain, redness, vision loss, seeing rainbow-colored rings around lights or halos, nausea and vomiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">AACG can be diagnosed with tests such as a gonioscopy, which assesses the eye&#8217;s drainage angle, and a slit-lamp exam, which uses a microscope to look inside the eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Prescription eye drops and a laser iridotomy, which makes a small hole in the eye to let fluid drain, can treat the condition but must be administered quickly to avoid permanent optic nerve damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Subarachnoid hemorrhage<\/h2>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-296cfca8ec2be862\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/17\/17\/107211061-15653877-image-a-3_1773768487931.jpg\" height=\"357\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Hemorrhages require immediate brain scans and surgery to avoid life-threatening consequences (stock image)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Hemorrhages require immediate brain scans and surgery to avoid life-threatening consequences (stock image)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A subarachnoid hemorrhage is a form of stroke that occurs when there is bleeding in the space between the brain and protective tissues covering it, also known as the subarachnoid space.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The bleeding usually occurs when an irregular bulge in a blood vessel, called an aneurysm, bursts in the brain. Head injuries can raise the risk, as can something called an arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of blood vessels in the brain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The key sign is when someone states that it is the worst headache of their life. That phrase alone means the patient needs to go to the emergency department,&#8217; Pang said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, vision changes and brief losses of consciousness are also possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Recent studies estimate that 30,000 Americans experience a subarachnoid hemorrhage each year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Subarachnoid hemorrhages that occur from burst aneurysms most often occur in people between ages 55 and 60 due to natural vascular weakening with age.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Connective tissue disorders such as\u00a0Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Marfan syndrome also weaken blood vessels and raise the risk of aneurysms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A subarachnoid hemorrhage requires immediate medical attention and scans such as a CT and MRI to detect bleeding.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Surgery is usually required to place a clip in the aneurysm and stop blood flow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Similar to subarachnoid hemorrhage, hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) is a life-threatening stroke caused by weakened deep brain arteries, which ultimately lead to rupture.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage is a brain bleed caused by the rupture of small arteries secondary to high blood pressure. It is considered a hemorrhagic stroke and is an emergency situation,&#8217; Pang said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">HICH accounts for about 3 million cases globally each year, while high blood pressure affects nearly half the US population, or 120 million people.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Signs of HICH include a sudden, severe &#8216;thunderclap&#8217; headache, along with nausea, vomiting and weakness or numbness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Men over the age of 55 are at the greatest risk due to their vulnerability to uncontrolled high blood pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Much like a subarachnoid hemorrhage, people who believe they are suffering from HICH need immediate CT and MRI scans and surgery to control the bleeding.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Cervicogenic headache<\/h2>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-3755fd73901be029\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/17\/17\/107211021-15653877-image-a-2_1773768412338.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Cervicogenic headaches are often not serious, but they can affect blood flow and lead to brain injury (stock image)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Cervicogenic headaches are often not serious, but they can affect blood flow and lead to brain injury (stock image)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Unlike many emergency headache cases, cervicogenic headaches don&#8217;t come on suddenly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Instead, the pain develops gradually and is focused on the neck and upper portion of the spine. The pain presents as stiffness that then radiates to the back of the head.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Pain from this form of headache also can start at the back of the head and then radiate to the front, just behind the eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Any injury or condition that affects the neck or spine can cause a cervicogenic headache, though it&#8217;s most often associated with fractures, arthritis, pinched nerves, slipped disks, sprained muscles and tumors pressing on the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">While\u00a0cervicogenic headaches can be harmless, major vessels that supply blood to the brain run close to the neck, and persistent tension could affect blood flow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;When there is damage to the arteries that supply the brain in the neck, we get reduced blood flow to the brain, which can result in anoxic brain injury,&#8217; Pang said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">X-ray and MRI scans can detect damage to the neck, and physical therapy and medications can help manage neck stiffness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Roughly two percent of Americans, or 6 million, report suffering from cervicogenic headaches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For most people, headaches are a minor inconvenience. Nearly all Americans have had at least one headache in their life, and half get one at least once a year. Additionally, about 12 to 15 percent of the population &#8211; roughly 40 million people &#8211; suffers from migraines, which are severe, recurring headaches often accompanied by<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7193","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}