Differential Diagnosis for Headache after Eating Breakfast

• Single most likely diagnosis
  • Migraine: Often triggered by certain foods or food additives, and can be exacerbated by skipping meals or eating certain foods, making breakfast a potential trigger.
• Other Likely diagnoses
  • Tension headache: Could be related to daily stress patterns, including morning routines, and might be exacerbated by the physical act of eating or the type of food consumed.
  • Sinus headache: If the headache is accompanied by facial pain, nasal congestion, or other sinus-related symptoms, it could be related to allergies or sinusitis, potentially worsened by breakfast foods.
  • Hypoglycemia: Eating breakfast after a period of fasting could lead to a rapid drop in blood sugar in some individuals, particularly those with diabetes or reactive hypoglycemia, causing headaches.
• Do Not Miss diagnoses
  • Temporal arteritis: Although less common, this condition can cause headaches that might seem related to eating due to jaw claudication (pain when chewing), and it's crucial to diagnose early to prevent complications like vision loss.
  • Pheochromocytoma: A rare tumor that can cause episodic headaches, among other symptoms, potentially triggered by food intake due to its effect on blood pressure and catecholamine release.
• Rare diagnoses
  • Cluster headache: While not typically associated with eating, cluster headaches can occur at any time and might coincidentally seem related to breakfast if they happen during that time frame.
  • Food allergy or intolerance: Specific foods consumed at breakfast could trigger allergic reactions or intolerances, leading to headaches in susceptible individuals.