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Headaches - tension - Prognosis

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common headaches.

Prognosis:

Both episodic tension-type headache and chronic daily headache affect quality of life. Tension-type headache episodes are rarely disabling, however, and rarely require emergency treatment. If they do, usually there is a migraine component occurring with the tension-type headache.

Nevertheless, although they are not medically dangerous and occur relatively rarely, chronic tension headaches have a negative impact on quality of life, families, and work productivity. Several studies have reported lower quality of life with any chronic daily headache compared to those no headaches or only episodic ones. Many people with chronic tension-type headaches also suffer from anxiety and depression.

Tension-type headaches can, in most cases, be treated and prevented. Episodes of these headaches can also resolve over time. In one study, nearly half of patients with frequent or chronic tension-type headache were not experiencing headaches when examined 3 years later. Patients who have both tension-type and migraine headaches may face steeper challenges in recovery.

Resources

www.headaches.org -- National Headache Foundation
www.achenet.org -- American Headache Society
www.aan.com -- American Academy of Neurology
www.ninds.nih.gov -- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
www.i-h-s.org -- International Headache Society

References

Antttila P. Tension-type headache in childhood and adolescence. Lancet Neurol. 2006 Mar;5(3):268-274.

Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C, Alonso-Blanco C, Cuadrado ML, Gerwin RD, Pareja JA. Myofascial trigger points and their relationship to headache clinical parameters in chronic tension-type headache. Headache. 2006 Sep;46(8):1264-72.

Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C, Cuadrado ML, Pareja JA. Myofascial trigger points, neck mobility, and forward head posture in episodic tension-type headache. Headache. 2007 May;47(5):662-72.

Fumal A, Schoenen J. Tension-type headache: current research and clinical management. Lancet Neurol. 2008; 7(1): 70-83.

Lenaerts ME, Gill PS. At the crossroads between tension-type headache and fibromyalgia. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2006 Dec;10(6):463-6.

Loder, E. and P. Rizzoli. Tension-type headache. BMJ. 2008; 336(7635): 88-92.

Silver, N. Headache (chronic tension-type). Am Fam Physician. 2007; 76(1): 114-6.

Stovner Lj, Hagen K, Jensen R, Katsarava Z, Lipton R, Scher A, et al. The global burden of headache: a documentation of headache prevalence and disability worldwide. Cephalalgia. 2007 Mar;27(3):193-210.

Reviewed last on: 9/9/2008
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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