Contenido:

HEADACHE

Headache or "migraine" is a symptom and not a disease. It is frequent, commonly chronic and recurrent (appears and disappears). In most cases there is a vascular cause (migraine) or it is induced by nervous stress. It is not a common symptom in arterial hypertension (high blood pressure).

The most frequent causes are:

• The beginning of an infectious disease, with fever and malaise. For example, the flu.
• The common cold, complicated with sinusitis (paranasal sinuses inflammation).
• Alcohol or smoking abuse.
• Stress due to worrying.
• Visual fatigue, age related loss of sight or inadequate optical correction.

For these cases, the headache may be treated with acetyl salicylic acid or paracetamol 500 mg.; if the pain is more intense, a stronger analgesic may be given, such as metamizole (DRAWER 3, first aid kits A, B and C).

Always measure the temperature of the patient; if it is raised, check for other symptoms. The use of sedatives in this case may hide the disease.

In case of persistent headache, ask for MEDICAL ADVICE VIA RADIO .