Headache is the most common health complaint. This is the first sign of fatigue and overstrain, and sometimes an alarming signal about serious disorders of the cardiovascular and nervous system. Despite the ordinaryness of pain, it requires special attention and proper treatment. In the article we’ll talk about which doctor to treat for headaches and how to deal effectively with them.
Prevalence
Pain in the head is the most common neurological disorder that occurs regardless of gender, age and demography. With the growth of employment and the pace of life, symptoms have become common, and sometimes everyday occurrence for the average person. The complaint has grown into a worldwide problem, which is not given sufficient attention. Few people know which doctor to consult for headaches, usually many simply limit the treatment of painkillers.
The main difficulty in eliminating such an unpleasant symptom is an unclear clinical picture. A single disease or symptom is the first question a doctor asks. Depending on the nature, pain is distinguished:
- throbbing
- voltage;
- sharp;
- compressive, compressive;
- bursting.
Unpleasant sensations can occur in any part of the head: temples, nape, near the eyes, in the forehead. Depending on the location and type of pain, the true cause of its occurrence can be assumed.
Root causes
As you know, pain is the first alarm from the body. Ignoring and drowning it with analgesics without trying to understand the cause is stupid and ineffective: it is likely that the pain will return again. Distinguish between true and secondary causes of the development of discomfort. In the first case, everything is limited only by the brain and the impact of the external environment at the level of the psyche. The man is healthy, but did not get enough sleep, was nervous, was busy with mental work for a long time - he got a headache of tension. For its treatment, it is only necessary to recover qualitatively: to relax the muscles of the neck and head, to sleep, to establish nutrition.
A more serious problem is migraine. This is the pathology of the areas of the brain that are responsible for pain. The disease is characterized by seizures, which may be accompanied by nausea, intolerance to light and visual impairment. The main symptom is a sharp pain in the temples, spreading all over the head. Often a unilateral manifestation of unpleasant symptoms. Which doctor should I contact for headaches in my temples if I suspect a migraine? It is best to immediately consult a neurologist.
Causes of Secondary Pain
The prevalence of a symptom in a variety of diseases fully answers the question: "Which doctor should I contact for headaches?" The very first specialist to visit is undoubtedly the therapist. A qualified general practitioner will be able to qualitatively assess the condition of the patient and narrow down the range of possible causes of poor health. The most common of them are:
- prolonged stress, insomnia;
- mental strain;
- infectious and inflammatory diseases;
- circulatory disorders;
- diseases of the nervous system and heart;
- problems with SHOP.
You should not delay a visit to the hospital if you suffer from frequent headaches. Which doctor to contact in this case, you already know - to the therapist. Be sure to inform him of the presence of chronic diseases and other symptoms, if they occur.
Further examination
The therapist will take a history, prescribe a general examination and initial treatment to prevent severe headaches. Which doctor should I go to after a family doctor? Most likely, the next specialist on the path to recovery will be the diagnostician. Based on the already collected data and recommendations, he will decide on:
- laboratory tests;
- Ultrasound, ultrasound of vessels;
- MRI or CT of the brain;
- Echo-EG, EEG;
- other additional procedures.
The importance of screening cannot be underestimated. This is the only way to determine the true cause of the ailment.
Is the nervous system to blame?
If you have constant headaches, which doctor should I contact to solve the problem faster? Indeed, in most cases, working capacity decreases, memory and mood deteriorate. You can immediately make an appointment with a neurologist if the condition is not complicated by fever, cough and other symptoms of infection.
Most often, a doctor of this profile leads:
- Beam, cluster pain, characterized by an acute course. Most often, alcohol abuse and smoking become a contributing factor.
- Neuralgia is a nerve disorder accompanied by shooting and stitching pains.
- Migraine is an independent and common disease. These are severe and throbbing pains that spread throughout the head or on one side. Related symptoms are dizziness, nausea, tinnitus;
- Neuroses of a different nature.
Diseases of the nervous system are a common, but far from the only cause of poor health. But if seizures occur with a certain frequency and do not affect other organ systems, most likely, the neurologist will become the main assistant in the treatment.
Headache and ENT?
At first glance, the otorhinolaryngologist is not included in the list of those specialists who are worth visiting when they are tormented by headaches. Which doctor should I contact if they occur in the nose, forehead? And if you add subfebrile temperature to the symptoms? Then there is a high probability that the patient came to the address. And it’s good that I’ve come at all, because such a “bouquet” of troubles indicates the neglected state of ENT diseases, and this is already dangerous to health.
Most often, a headache provokes inflammation in the sinuses of the nose, which provoke diseases such as sinusitis, ethmoiditis, and frontal sinusitis. Treatment should be immediate because of the danger of purulent infection. Which doctor should I contact for headaches that are not associated with ENT diseases, but are accompanied by high fever? Without a doubt, it is worth visiting the infectious disease specialist as soon as possible.
Headache and hypertension: is there a connection?
People suffering from high blood pressure often record a headache as a characteristic symptom of this ailment. In fact, the processes are interconnected, but not directly. The pain itself, and headache in particular, can cause an increase in blood pressure (up to about 160 mmHg).
The body reacts differently to “alarm signals” in different ways, therefore it is wrong to attribute pain to pressure and vice versa. But the combination of these signs should alert and encourage a visit to the clinic. Which doctor should I contact for headaches and high blood pressure? First of all, you should go to the appointment with a therapist. You may also need a consultation with a cardiologist.
Can an optometrist help?
It turns out that a headache can also signal ophthalmic diseases, especially if it occurs in the forehead, temples, nose bridge and orbits. The cause of the discomfort is most often an increased pressure of the fundus, which leads to many troubles. For example, glaucoma. Untimely treatment can lead to severe visual impairment, up to blindness.
In addition to increased pressure of the fundus, headaches can trigger astigmatism. Usually, a disease develops from early childhood and requires observation and treatment by an ophthalmologist.
Consultation of other specialists
Frequent, almost ongoing headaches can indicate the development of a severe pathology, for example, brain cancer. An oncologist can make an accurate diagnosis only after a CT scan, an MRI scan, and in some cases a PET diagnosis. To prevent the development of serious consequences, it is recommended to undergo preventive examinations at least once a year, especially if the problem of persistent headaches is relevant, and the cause of their occurrence is not clarified.
Benign and malignant formations manifest themselves in the form of dizziness up to loss of consciousness, convulsions. The symptomatology of specific signs varies depending on the location of the tumor.
Headache - regardless of the cause - is an extremely unpleasant condition, provoking a decrease in performance and a deterioration in overall well-being and mood. The quality of treatment of symptoms should be given special attention: a serious illness may be hidden behind ordinary pain, requiring urgent treatment. If you are planning to go to the hospital and wondering who to contact, you should determine the importance of the fact of visiting a doctor and following his recommendations. Start with a general practitioner or neurologist. If additional consultations are needed, specialists will be sent to a conversation with narrow-profile doctors.