Co-morbidities of headaches

Headache is one of the very common clinical symptoms. In general, headache can be divided into two categories, one is the cause of headache is clear, such as head trauma, brain hemorrhage, tumors and other headaches caused by headache, that is, secondary headache; the other type of headache cause is not yet clear, that is, primary headache. At present, although there is no clear cause of primary headache, but it is inextricably linked with other diseases. Headache and Epilepsy A study of patients with epilepsy found that the prevalence of headache was increased in patients with epilepsy compared to the general population. The prevalence of headaches in patients with epilepsy peaked earlier in the general population at 40-49 years of age, whereas the prevalence of headaches in patients with epilepsy peaked at 18-29 years of age. The prevalence of migraine in patients with epilepsy is also higher, with a significantly earlier peak in prevalence. Of the interictal headaches in patients with epilepsy, 60.2% were migraines and 30.3% were tension-type headaches. Of all the epilepsy types, occipital lobe epilepsy had a significantly higher prevalence of postictal headache than other types of epilepsy. Migraine and idiopathic tremor A clinical study was conducted and found that migraine was also associated with idiopathic tremor, with a higher incidence of migraine in patients with primary tremor. However, studies at the genetic level of dopamine receptors did not yield positive results. Headache and foramen ovale opacification The incidence of foramen ovale opacification is higher in migraine patients, especially those with aura, than in non-migraine patients, and the need for blockage in the treatment of this condition is currently under investigation, pending the results of the study to provide a clear answer. HEADACHE AND DEPRESSION The relationship between headache and depression has been of great interest. Studies of patients attending the clinic have shown a significant increase in the prevalence of depression in patients with headache, as well as a significantly higher prevalence of headache in patients with a tendency to depression. Amitriptyline has been found to be clinically effective in the treatment of primary headache, but its mechanism of action is controversial: does amitriptyline relieve headache because it relieves depression, or does it relieve headache directly? In this regard, there is still some discrepancy between European and American guidelines on whether to recommend amitriptyline as a therapeutic agent for migraine.