Tension headache

This is the most common type of primary headache disorder. (1,2)

Tension headache describes a pain which has at least two of the following characteristics:

• mild to moderate in severity
• bilateral
• often felt as a pressure or constriction
• not accompanied by significant systemic upset or neurological deficits
• not aggravated by routine physical activity such as walking or climbing stairs

Episodes of headaches usually last from 30 minutes to 7 days. Nausea or vomiting does not occur but their might be either photophobia or phonophobia associated with the disease.

Cause of the headache cannot be attributed to another disease e.g. - post trauma, brain tumours etc

The spectrum of severity includes:

• patients with mild and infrequent attacks who do not consider that they have a disease
• patients with daily, almost continuous, pain

Tension type headaches may be seen together with migraine in some patients with frequent headaches.

Reference:

1. Ashina S, Mitsikostas DD, Lee MJ, et al. Tension-type headache. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021 Mar 25;7(1):24.
2. Jensen RH. Tension-type headache - the normal and most prevalent headache. Headache. 2018 Feb;58(2):339-45.