Berlin - in Germany clearly more than half of all humans suffers regularly from headache attacks: To scarcely 40 per cent of the adults fight according to data of the forum to pain regularly with so-called tension headache, further 10 per cent suffer under migraine. Causing concern is also the rising number of the children and young people concerned. Thus know according to the migräne and headache company already more than one third of all teenagers the agony of the recurring headache. For better clearing-up over the different headache forms organize from there pharmacies, groups of self-helps and German becoming green cross on 5 September the German headache day.
Search for the cause
Both with the tension headache and with the migraine it concerns so-called primary headache, i.e., the pain is not a symptom of an illness, but the illness. The actual causes of the headache are investigated until today not completely, even if the illness is so far common. “How the name one already says, assumes with tension headache strutted muscles the problem are”, explains the director/conductor of the forum pain of German becoming green cross, Dietmar ruffle, from Marburg. At least the symptoms let that to be assumed as reciprocally, dully/mustily pressing pain more easily to middle intensity. Of “one is safe real itself however not.” The migraine connected with substantially stronger health restrictions however has probably different causes. “Studies point out that an overactivity of the nerves of the brain stem is responsible for it”, explains the expert. This again excessively sets many chemical messengers free such as serotonin, so that the blood vessels in the brain swell. “This swelling presses on the surrounding nerves and releases a pulsating, pounding pain.”
Weather as a cause
As if that would not be enough, must headache-susceptible humans in the coming weeks on still larger problems count. New studies occupy a connection between the weather and the headache attacks, like the medical director/conductor of the East German of headache center in Berlin, January Peter Jansen, on the occasion of a meeting to the topic in Berlin said. Therefore above all Wetterwechsel cause pain in the head, can nevertheless unstable weather conditions for the entire body “pure stress” be. Changes therefore as in the approaching autumn high and low again and again off, the pain risk rises itself. “In addition it comes that blood vessels, nerves and muscles very near because of the surface of the head are, why these already pull together with small drops of temperature - which”, explains the physician can release headache. “Against it one can hardly protect oneself, it can however help to sit up in wet-cold weather a cap so that the head cools down less.”
Further causes for tension headache can be psychosocial stress (family, work or everyday life), working in wrong body attitude or with bad light, an unhealthy life change (alcohol, nicotine), too little sleep or disturbances of the chewing apparatus (tooth-crunch). For migraine beside Wetterwechseln the following causes (triggers) are designated: Stress, physical effort, food and alcohol, deviations from the used sleep rhythm, hormoneal problems (Menstruation or contraceptives). With both disease pictures are women more frequently affected than men.
Possibilities of treatment
With migraine only one physician can find the suitable medication. There are about 16 differently Migränearten, from there is difficult it for a layman to constitute, who means is the suitable thing. The treatment should be discussed and prepared with the specialist.
Against tension headache one does not have to work compellingly directly with pain killers. Often a walk at fresh air or the improvement of the conditions of work (seat, light, sufficient breaks) is sufficient. An old house means against headache is Minzöl. With arising pain it will rub on the Schläfen and the forehead, if necessary can be given with strong pain also a drop on the tongue. If all should not help these measures, pain killer with the active substances is recommended acetylsalicylic acid (ASS), Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or Naproxen. With chronically running forms of the tension headache Ärzet use up frequently combination preparations, because so the specific side effects of the individual active substances be minimized and the pain-satisfying effect can be maximised.
“Many patients do not know however at all that migraine and normal headache are differently treated and to suffer unnecessarily for a long time”, so Dietmar ruffle. Therefore headache-troubled humans with their physician should clarify, which pain form it exactly concerns with them. (with DPA)
