Headache
Headache
Almost everyone will have a headache at some point in their life, but fortunately, most headaches (even bad ones) aren't serious.
The most common types of headache are tension headache — most ‘ordinary’ headaches are of this type — and migraine (which has very distinct symptoms). Cluster headache is a rare but very painful type of headache that almost always only affects men.
Find out more about the symptoms of the different types of headache and how they are treated in our headache knowledge hub.
Information for health professionals
Headache is common. Global 1–year prevalence data show that about one in two people will experience a headache: four in 10 of these will have a tension-type headache and one in 10 will have a migraine. The NPS program Headaches — safe diagnosis, effective management covers current guidance for health professionals on managing headaches, including:
- how to establish a diagnosis for different types of headaches
- how to manage headaches effectively
- place in therapy of non-drug treatment options.