Primary and Secondary Headaches

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For primary headaches, the headache pain itself is the illness. Primary headaches include these types:

• Tension headaches
• Migraine headaches
• Cluster headaches
• Exertion headaches

In contrast, for secondary headaches, the headache pain is secondary to, and a symptom of, some underlying illness:

• Common cold, influenza, or sinusitis
• Systemic infection, including meningitis
• Bleeding in the brain, such as bleeding that may occur from a stroke or aneurysm
• Tooth pain or pain at the joint between the lower jaw and the skull (temporomandibular joint pain, or TMJ)
• Eyestrain or glaucoma
• Elevated blood pressure (hypertension)
• Brain tumor
• Head injury
• Withdrawal from alcohol or drugs
• Medication-overuse headache from chronic use of pain relievers or other medicines