Differential Diagnosis for Headache
- Single most likely diagnosis
- Tension headache: This is the most common type of headache and is often characterized by a band-like pressure around the forehead, neck, and scalp. It is usually mild to moderate in severity and can be triggered by stress, poor posture, or muscle tension.
- Other Likely diagnoses
- Migraine: A type of headache disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of severe headaches, often accompanied by sensitivity to light, sound, and nausea. Migraines can be triggered by various factors, including hormonal changes, certain foods, and stress.
- Sinus headache: Caused by inflammation or infection of the sinuses, this type of headache is often accompanied by facial pain, nasal congestion, and fever.
- Cluster headache: A rare but severe type of headache that occurs in clusters or cycles, often waking the patient from sleep. Cluster headaches are characterized by intense, one-sided pain, usually around the eye, and can be accompanied by nasal congestion and eye watering.
- Do Not Miss (ddxs that may not be likely, but would be deadly if missed.)
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage: A life-threatening condition caused by bleeding into the space surrounding the brain, often due to a ruptured aneurysm. Symptoms include a sudden, severe headache, often described as "the worst headache of my life."
- Meningitis: An infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which can cause headache, fever, stiff neck, and confusion.
- Temporal arteritis: An inflammation of the blood vessels in the temples, which can cause headache, jaw pain, and vision loss if left untreated.
- Brain tumor: A mass of abnormal cells in the brain, which can cause headache, seizures, and neurological deficits.
- Rare diagnoses
- Trigeminal neuralgia: A chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, causing intense, shock-like pain in the face.
- Occipital neuralgia: A condition characterized by inflammation of the occipital nerves, causing pain in the back of the head and neck.
- Hypnic headache: A rare type of headache that occurs only during sleep, often waking the patient.
- Thunderclap headache: A sudden, severe headache that reaches its maximum intensity within a minute, often indicative of a subarachnoid hemorrhage or other serious condition.