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Have you or someone you know ever say the words “It’s just a headache”? Did you know that there are actually over 150 different types of headaches, according to the International Classification of Headaches (ICHD)? And because it’s estimated that about half of people with migraine never get a diagnosis, many people don’t get the right treatment for their symptoms.
Concrete example: sinus headaches. A study published in the Internal Medicine Archives found that of the 2,991 participants who thought they had had at least six “sinus headaches” in the previous six months, 88 percent of them actually had migraines, according to ICHD guidelines on the diagnosis of migraine.
“Migraine is much more common than sinus headache,” says Kevin Weber, MD, neurologist at Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University in Columbus. About 35 million Americans suffer from migraine, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.
Not sure what type of headache you have? Here are some clues to distinguish between sinus headaches and migraine.
What is a sinus headache?
A headache can be one of the symptoms of sinusitis or the inflammation and swelling of the sinuses, possibly caused by an infection or allergy. Sinusitis symptoms can also include facial pain and pressure, nasal drainage, nasal or facial congestion, post-nasal drip, cough, and sore throat, Dr. Weber says.
“Some people actually have true ‘sinus headaches’, usually caused by a deviated nasal septal causing contact or pressure on the nasal walls and headaches. This is also called a rhinogenic headache or a point of contact headache. Typically, this headache gets worse with sinus congestion and gets better with relief from the congestion, ”he says.
RELATED: What is a sinus infection?
What are the risk factors for migraine and sinus headache?
The exact reason why a person suffers from migraine is not known, but it is believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors, says Kiran Rajneesh, MBBS, neurologist and pain medicine specialist at Ohio State. University Wexner Medical Center. “By genetics we mean something you were born with – a propensity for headaches that includes a family history or mutations that involve certain channels in the brain,” says Dr. Rajneesh.
Migraine is more common in people between the ages of 18 and 44, and women are about three times more likely to experience migraines than men, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.
People are born with a certain propensity for migraine, then there is a threshold for symptom attacks; people can reach this threshold when exposed to certain environmental factors or lifestyle changes, Rajneesh says. These can include certain foods, drinks, lack of sleep, or even changes in the weather, he says.
A sinus headache is a symptom of a sinus infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), risk factors for sinus infection can include a cold, seasonal allergies, smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, structural sinus problems such as polyps. nasal passages and a weak immune system. or drugs that compromise the immune system.
What are the overlapping symptoms of migraine and sinus headache?
Migraine attacks typically include a one-sided (or bilateral) headache that is usually moderate to severe, with pounding and pounding when severe, Weber says.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, facial pain and headaches can also occur with a sinus headache.
Migraine attacks and sinus headaches can cause watery eyes and runny nose.
How is a sinus headache different from a migraine attack?
While a sinus headache is the result of pressure on the nasal walls, migraine attacks originate in the brain, Rajneesh says. “There is often a clear association in a person who has a history of allergies and then their allergies flare up, which then leads to headaches, and the headache is usually frontal,” he says.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, people with allergic rhinitis are more than 10 times more likely to suffer from migraine.
Although migraine and a sinus headache may be accompanied by a runny nose, with migraine the discharge is usually clear, while in a headache that accompanies sinusitis it may be colored or smelly, says Rajneesh.
Migraine attacks are often associated with other symptoms besides headaches, which can include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound, according to Weber. “Some migraine patients have an aura, usually visual, with spots, lights or colors before the onset of a migraine attack,” he says.
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