If you've never heard of thunderclap headaches, it is described as a very sudden and intense headache that occurs out of nowhere.
In fact, it is said to be the king of kings when it comes to headaches.
Grown men have been brought to their knees with a thunderclap headache - literally.
What Causes Them? A thunderclap headache can be the result of two disorders, Benign Thunderclap headache (BTH) and Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).
A SAH is when trauma occurs in the vessels of the brain.
A weak spot forms and gives way which causes a bleed or hemorrhage.
If this bleed occurs under an arachnoid layer, it is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
This usually requires emergency treatment and there is no way for you to tell if the thunderclap is simply a headache or if it is SAH.
You should seek emergency treatment as soon as you feel this terrible headache.
Should you feel these symptoms and not seek treatment, further damage could occur inside your brain and certain complications could lead to brain damage or could even be fatal.
This is certainly no headache to try aspirin on or to play around with!You could need emergency surgery to repair the damage and to prevent more damage from occurring.
Symptoms and Causes of SAH You may also feel dizzy, nauseous, sensitivity to light, pain in your neck and your back.
You might vomit, have seizures or even lose consciousness.
There are many things that could cause SAH, including a rupture in the tissue of the cerebellum, a malformation of blood vessels in the brain which have clumped together and trauma to the head which breaks blood vessels inside the brain.
Trauma could be anything from hitting your head really hard on something, to being attacked and hit by another person.
Should you feel these symptoms and know that you have either been hit or had an accident, you should get to the hospital immediately so that you can be treated to prevent more damage.
Treatment You will most likely have a CT scan in order to see why the thunderclap headache is there.
Your doctor will check for signs that there is bleeding, something ruptured or trauma.
If you have no signs of anything abnormal, you will probably be placed under observation until you feel better.
Should your doctor find bleeding, he will probably want to start treatment right away in order to stop the bleeding and prevent further damage.
This usually means surgery.
In fact, it is said to be the king of kings when it comes to headaches.
Grown men have been brought to their knees with a thunderclap headache - literally.
What Causes Them? A thunderclap headache can be the result of two disorders, Benign Thunderclap headache (BTH) and Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).
A SAH is when trauma occurs in the vessels of the brain.
A weak spot forms and gives way which causes a bleed or hemorrhage.
If this bleed occurs under an arachnoid layer, it is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
This usually requires emergency treatment and there is no way for you to tell if the thunderclap is simply a headache or if it is SAH.
You should seek emergency treatment as soon as you feel this terrible headache.
Should you feel these symptoms and not seek treatment, further damage could occur inside your brain and certain complications could lead to brain damage or could even be fatal.
This is certainly no headache to try aspirin on or to play around with!You could need emergency surgery to repair the damage and to prevent more damage from occurring.
Symptoms and Causes of SAH You may also feel dizzy, nauseous, sensitivity to light, pain in your neck and your back.
You might vomit, have seizures or even lose consciousness.
There are many things that could cause SAH, including a rupture in the tissue of the cerebellum, a malformation of blood vessels in the brain which have clumped together and trauma to the head which breaks blood vessels inside the brain.
Trauma could be anything from hitting your head really hard on something, to being attacked and hit by another person.
Should you feel these symptoms and know that you have either been hit or had an accident, you should get to the hospital immediately so that you can be treated to prevent more damage.
Treatment You will most likely have a CT scan in order to see why the thunderclap headache is there.
Your doctor will check for signs that there is bleeding, something ruptured or trauma.
If you have no signs of anything abnormal, you will probably be placed under observation until you feel better.
Should your doctor find bleeding, he will probably want to start treatment right away in order to stop the bleeding and prevent further damage.
This usually means surgery.