Are chronic headaches dangerous?

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Huynh An Thien - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine, Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang.

We will experience headaches from time to time. But if you've had headaches for four hours or longer, for at least a fortnight to three months, you may have a chronic headache.

Chronic headaches are headaches that occur at any time, when headaches occur from 15 days to more than a month or longer than three months can lead to chronic daily headaches. Early aggressive treatment and regular, long-term management can reduce pain and lead to fewer headaches.
In many cases, patients present with chronic daily headaches lasting for more than four hours. Headaches usually occur in people with a history of migraine. Chronic migraines tend to affect one or both sides of the head, presenting with a moderate to severe throbbing pain.

When you have a chronic headache, there are different treatments to help relieve the pain. But first, we should find out the cause as well as the type of headache the patient experiences.
Tension headaches
In the case of tension headaches, the pain will be continuous, feeling like a band is wrapped around the head. The pain will appear when: Depression, continuous work, sleeping in the wrong position, stress on the head...
Tension headaches affect both sides of the patient's head. For treatment, your doctor may prescribe other medications, such as antidepressants, to help ease headaches and avoid more serious problems.
In addition to medication, the doctor will ask the patient to try to create a period of relaxation and reduce stress.
Migraine
Migraine is also a symptom of chronic headaches that cause throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head. Symptoms include: Sensitivity to light, noise and odors; nausea and vomiting; blurred vision or seeing spots, dots, or zigzag lines.
Migraines can last from half an hour to several days. Your doctor may prescribe certain medications to stop the pain from happening more often. Here are some other therapies that can prevent migraines:
Hormone therapy for women whose migraines are related to the menstrual cycle Manage stress by: exercise, relaxation and biofeedback Overuse or rebound headaches: If you use pain relievers too often to treat headaches, you may have a drug abuse headache (MOH). MOH can get worse until you get the right treatment. Patients usually control MOH by gradually reducing pain medication and taking preventive medication. Some people with severe MOH need to take pain medication in the hospital to help control pain.
Hemiarania Continua
This is a rare type of headache, but can cause pain on one side of the face and head. When the patient has had headaches continuously for at least 3 months without bilateral pain, you may have hemiarania continua. Symptoms of the disease include: red eyes; stuffy or runny nose, drooping eyelids; small pupil, black circle in the center of the eye...
Patients can treat hemiarania continua with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called indomethacin (Indocin, Tivorbex). Usually, medications provide quick relief, but cause stomach upset, so an antacid is needed.
Another drug, an NSAID, celecoxib (Celebrex), can also treat pain if it can't handle the side effects of indomethacin.

Causes of chronic daily headaches include:
Inflammation or other problems with blood vessels in and around the brain such as stroke Infections such as meningitis Intracranial pressure too high or too low U Brain Trauma Drug Abuse Headache This type of headache usually occurs in people with a cluster headache disorder, usually migraine, tension, and overuse of pain relievers. If the person is taking pain medication - even without a prescription - more than one day a week (or nine days a month), there is a risk of a headache.
In addition, there are other causes such as: Depression, sleep disorders, obesity, snoring, excessive use of caffeine, abuse of headache medication.
Many people subjective headaches are not dangerous, however, chronic headaches cause very dangerous complications. If someone suffers from chronic daily headaches, there is an increased risk of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other psychological and physical problems.

To help relieve chronic daily headaches, you must first take care of yourself such as:
Stay away from headache triggers by keeping a headache diary to help you identify those. causes of headaches and take measures to avoid it. Avoid overuse of medication: When people take headache medications, including over-the-counter medications, more than twice a week can increase headache severity and frequency. Get enough sleep: According to experts, the average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It is best to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. If you have a sleep disorder, talk to your doctor about treatment. Do not skip meals: To minimize headaches, patients should eat well, eat healthy meals at the same time every day. At the same time, it is advisable to avoid unhealthy foods and drinks such as those containing caffeine that can trigger headaches. If the patient is obese, lose weight. Get regular exercise: Regular aerobic activity can improve physical and mental health and reduce stress, as can walking, swimming, or biking. To avoid injury, when exercising, start slowly. Reduce stress: Stress is a common trigger of chronic headaches. Therefore, to reduce stress in life, patients should work, organize activities, simplify schedules, and be optimistic. Try effective stress-reduction methods like yoga, tai chi, or meditation. Reduce caffeine intake: While some headache medications include caffeine because it can be beneficial in relieving headaches, it can also aggravate headaches. So try to minimize or eliminate caffeine from your diet.

Articles refer to sources: webmd.com, mayoclinic.org