Blood pressure headache can certainly be a problem but don’t forget that many patients with hypertension have no symptoms of any kind. A sore head does not always mean that you must have high blood pressure!
Some common causes of head pains include
Sinus infection or sinusitis (caused by pressure in the nasal passages.) Migraines Hormone changes such as those that occur in the premenstrual phase Tension headaches (caused by stress and the type of sore head that most closely resembles the one caused by high BP.) Cluster headaches (come in groups and last a half an hour to several hours and occur more than once a day for a prolonged period of time.) Dental problems (a referred pain pattern of head discomfort associated with a toothache.) Eye problems (is caused by an infection or problem with the eye such as glaucoma)
Those listed above are the commonest cause of head pain but of course there are many other possibilities too – if you have persistent headache then please go see your doctor for a check over. You should not rely on internet information for diagnosis of health problems. When you look at the scientific journals there is no convincing research to prove that high BP causes pains in the head – although from looking after many thousands of hypertensive patients, I know for certain that it does. This makes it even more confusing of course. Hypertension is known as the silent killer because of its lack of any symptoms that can be directly attached to the problem. All of the high BP symptoms can also be associated with any number of other conditions. The only way to diagnose hypertension is by monitoring the BP level. Hypertension headaches usually only occur when the patients BP is at a very high level – or when there has been a sudden surge in the level and in this context it can be a warning feature of the need for urgent treatment. You need to keep in mind that up to ninety percent of all headaches are stress induced or stress related and aggravated. Learning to relax can be very beneficial for your BP level as well as for any other stress related symptoms you are experiencing.
Gordon Cameron is a physician in Edinburgh Scotland. He has a special interest in helping people to lower blood pressure and also likes to provide information on how to choose a blood pressure monitor.
