Question

System Disorder
Topic: headaches
Alteration in Health (Diagnosis)

Client Problem Related to Alteration in Health

Pathophysiology Related to Client Problem

Assessment

Past Medical History=

Risk Factors=

Objective and Subjective Data=

Medications=

Laboratory Data=

Diagnostic Procedures/Surgical Interventions=

Nursing Interventions (Evidence-Based)=

Client Education=

Outcomes/Evaluations=

Teamwork and Collaboration

Discharge Planning

Interprofessional Care

Coordination of Client Care

Answer 1

Headaches can be more complicated than most people realize. Different kinds can have their own set of symptoms, happen for unique reasons, and need different treatments.

Once you know the type of headache you have, you and your doctor can find the treatment that’s most likely to help and even try to prevent them.

Common Types of Headaches

There are over 150 types of headaches, but the most common types include:

Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache among adults and teens. They cause mild to moderate pain and come and go over time. They usually have no other symptoms.

Migraine Headaches

Migraine headaches are often described as pounding, throbbing pain. They can last from 4 hours to 3 days and usually happen one to four times a month. Along with the pain, people have other symptoms, such as sensitivity to light, noise, or smells; nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and upset stomach or belly pain. When a child has a migraine, she may look pale, feel dizzy, and have blurry vision, fever, and an upset stomach. A small number of children's migraines include digestive symptoms, like vomiting, that happen about once a month.

Cluster Headaches

These headaches are the most severe. You could have intense burning or piercing pain behind or around one eye. It can be throbbing or constant. The pain can be so bad that most people with cluster headaches can’t sit still and will often pace during an attack. On the side of the pain, the eyelid droops, the eye reddens, pupil gets smaller, or the eye makes tears. The nostril on that side runs or stuffs up.

They’re called cluster headaches because they tend to happen in groups. You might get them one to three times per day during a cluster period, which may last 2 weeks to 3 months. Each headache attack lasts 15 minutes to 3 hours. They can wake you up from sleep. The headaches may disappear completely (your doctor will call this remission) for months or years, only to come back later. Men are three to four times more likely to get them than women.

Chronic Daily Headaches

You have this type of headache 15 days or more a month for longer than 3 months. Some are short. Others last more than 4 hours. It’s usually one of the four types of primary headache:

• Chronic migraine
• Chronic tension headache
• New daily persistent headache
• Hemicrania continua

Sinus Headaches

With sinus headaches, you feel a deep and constant pain in your cheekbones, forehead, or on the bridge of your nose. They happen when cavities in your head, called sinuses, get inflamed. The pain usually comes along with other sinus symptoms, like a runny nose, fullness in the ears, fever, and a swollen face. A true sinus headache results from a sinus infection so the gunk that comes out of your nose will be yellow or green, unlike the clear discharge in cluster or migraine headaches.

Posttraumatic Headaches

Posttraumatic stress headaches usually starts 2-3 days after a head injury. You’ll feel:

• A dull ache that gets worse from time to time
• Vertigo
• Lightheadedness
• Trouble concentrating
• Memory problems
• Tiring quickly
• Irritability

Common causes of headaches include:

• Illness. This can include infections, colds, and fevers. Headaches are also common with conditions like sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), a throat infection, or an ear infection. In some cases, headaches can result from a blow to the head or, rarely, a sign of a more serious medical problem.
• Stress. Emotional stress and depression as well as alcohol use, skipping meals, changes in sleep patterns, and taking too much medication. Other causes include neck or back strain due to poor posture.
• Your environment, including secondhand tobacco smoke, strong smells from household chemicals or perfumes, allergens, and certain foods. Stress, pollution, noise, lighting, and weather changes are other possible triggers.
• Genetics. Headaches, especially migraine headaches, tend to run in families. Most children and teens (90%) who have migraines have other family members who get them. When both parents have a history of migraines, there is a 70% chance their child will also have them. If only one parent has a history of these headaches, the risk drops to 25%-50%.

DiAGNOSIS

physical examination

symptom identification

CT

MRI

EEG (electroencephalogram)

TREATMENT

Self-treatment: Self- care steps that may be helpful in some less- serious cases:

• Resting in a dark, quite room

• Over- the- counter medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin

Daily prescription medications, including tricyclic antidepressants, might manage chronic tension-type headaches. Alternative therapies aimed at stress reduction might help. They include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Biofeedback
• Massage therapy
• Acupuncture

Treatment might include:

• Rest in a quiet, dark room
• Hot or cold compresses to your head or neck
• Massage and small amounts of caffeine
• Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and aspirin
• Prescription medications including triptans, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex) and zolmitriptan (Zomig)
• Preventive medications such as metoprolol (Lopressor), propranolol (Innopran, Inderal, others), amitriptyline, divalproex (Depakote), topiramate (Qudexy XR, Trokendi XR ,Topamax) or erenumab-aooe (Aimovig)