Pain in the entire head is observed with vascular disorders, intracranial hypertension, meningitis, encephalitis, arachnoiditis, traumatic injuries, general infections, exogenous intoxications, mental disorders. Physiological causes are stuffiness, lack of sleep, stress, changing weather conditions. The pain can be pressing, bursting, aching, throbbing, dull, sharp, short-lived or persisting for a long time. NSAIDs, antihypertensive, anticonvulsant, antiallergic and other drugs, physiotherapy techniques, and surgical interventions are used in the treatment.
One of the most common etiological factors of headaches in healthy people is stress. Possible insomnia, mood disorders. Unlike neuroses, changes in state are short-term, quickly disappearing after the end of experiences. Another common cause of the symptom is weather dependence. Headache weak or moderate, dull, squeezing. Complemented by dizziness, irritability, depression, increased fatigue. Occurs due to changes in atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity.
Pain in the whole head can be observed in coffee lovers who decide to refuse to drink the drink. It is caused by reflex vasodilation after the cessation of caffeine. Pain is pressing, the intensity varies. Unpleasant manifestations pass in a few days, after the body adapts to new conditions. Sometimes a symptom is observed during fasting, following strict diets. Associated with the vascular response to low sugar levels. The pains are pressing, spilled.
It develops against the background of prolonged overstrain, chronic stress, mental fatigue or depression. Painful sensations are dull, aching, squeezing, tightening, appear during the day, rarely disturb at night. Patients say that the head “splits”, describe their sensations as the head was “squeezed with a bandage”, “squeezed in a vise”. Fatigue, anxiety, irritability are revealed.
The symptom often worries people suffering from vascular diseases. Most often occurs with an increase in blood pressure against the background of essential hypertension and secondary hypertension. Occurs in the forehead or back of the head, spreads symmetrically throughout the head. As a rule, it is celebrated in the morning hours. The pain syndrome is bursting or pulsating, aggravated by loud sounds, physical exertion, sharp turns of the head.
In patients with hypotension, the head seems to become heavy. The pains are dull, bursting. Weakness, dizziness are possible. Cerebral atherosclerosis is characterized by diffuse pain sensations, which are aggravated by bending over, appear in the afternoon, more often against the background of stuffiness, overwork, complemented by tinnitus, sleep disturbances.
In patients with vegetative-vascular dystonia, the headache is compressive, dull, less often bursting, burning. It is part of a diverse clinical picture, which includes circulatory and sweating disorders, disorders of the digestive system, respiratory organs and urination, caused by autonomic dysfunction. Symptoms disturb a significant part of the time or appear during the period of attacks.
Pain in the whole head
Pain is the main symptom of liquor-hypertension syndrome. With a sudden increase in intracranial pressure - intense, rapidly increasing, with chronic pathologies - dull, constant or undulating. Pain sensations are symmetrical, maximally expressed in the area of the forehead and crown, spreading over the head. In addition, intracranial hypertension is often manifested by a feeling of pressure from the inside on the eyeballs, increased discomfort during eye movements.
In patients with inflammatory pathologies, pain in the entire head is due to intoxication syndrome, increased intracranial pressure, and cerebral edema. Meningitis is characterized by a very intense, rapidly growing pain syndrome, most pronounced in the projection of the occiput, spreading to other areas of the head. Significant hyperthermia, chills, severe weakness, nausea, vomiting are noted. Meningeal symptoms are positive.
Encephalitis also manifests acutely, accompanied by increasing headache, fever, severe intoxication. Sometimes there are disorders of consciousness, convulsions, mental disorders. With arachnoiditis, pain is bursting, dull, aggravated in the morning, after physical exertion, supplemented by insomnia, hyperthermia, nausea, and fatigue.
Headache is observed in all types of traumatic brain injury. Other characteristic symptoms are loss of consciousness at the time of injury, amnesia for previous events, nausea, vomiting, weakness, dizziness. Manifestations vary depending on the severity of the injury. With a concussion, the loss of consciousness is short-term, pain and other signs persist for 2-3 weeks.
The bruise is manifested by a longer loss of consciousness, intense pain, observed for 1-2 months. Soreness increases with movement, in an upright position, decreases in the supine position. Neurological symptoms are noted: asymmetry of reflexes, nystagmus, anisocoria, mild meningeal disorders, sometimes mild hemiparesis.
The causes of development are SARS, influenza, acute forms or periods of exacerbations of diseases of the respiratory system (bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia), urinary tract (glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis). Similar symptoms are observed with local purulent lesions of soft tissues (phlegmon, abscesses), deep pyoderma (carbuncle, hydradenitis).
The pain appears in different parts of the head or has a diffuse character. Weak or moderately pronounced, pressing, aching, exhausting, monotonous. General hyperthermia ranges from subfebrile to febrile fever. Complaints of weakness, weakness, arthralgia, myalgia are found. With general infections, respiratory diseases, catarrhal symptoms are expressed: runny nose, cough, sore throat.
The most common type of poisoning is a hangover after alcohol intoxication. The pain in the head occurs the next morning after taking alcohol, ranging from dull, slight to sharp, intense. Often pulsating. Complemented by weakness, weakness, heaviness in the body, nausea, palpitations. Disappears in the afternoon or late afternoon.
With food poisoning, headaches are aching, slight or moderate intensity. There are pains in the abdomen, tenesmus, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting. Possible increase in body temperature. In victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, pains in the whole head appear due to oxygen starvation, moderate, dull, aching. It is possible to reduce criticism of one's own condition.
In addition, a symptom can occur against the background of taking medications, poisoning with various poisons, contact with occupational hazards (for example, odorous substances). An example of endogenous intoxication accompanied by headache is the toxic effect of malignant tumors. The pain syndrome is observed almost constantly, supplemented by weight loss, appetite.
Sometimes pain in the whole head is detected in the following conditions:
Diagnostic measures are carried out by a neurologist. If necessary, an infectious disease specialist, therapist, surgeon, and other specialists are involved in the examination. The purpose of the conversation with the patient is to clarify complaints, study the nature of the headache, and collect anamnestic data. The results of an external examination are often uninformative. With injuries, wounds, abrasions, local edema, bruising are found. With vascular pathologies, an increase or decrease in blood pressure is determined.
Assessment of the somatic status, identification of various syndromes (intoxication, infectious-toxic, characteristic of impaired renal function and the respiratory system) suggest a possible cause of the symptom, determine the direction of further examination. The following techniques may be applied:
Consultation of a neurologist
The treatment plan is made taking into account the cause of pain:
The following surgeries can be performed:
Patients with hydrocephalus that cannot be eliminated by other conservative and surgical methods are treated with cystoperitoneal, ventriculoperitoneal, or lumboperitoneal shunting. Perform endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy, external ventricular drainage.