Headaches most common disorder, doctor says

Dubai: Headaches are the most common disorder that people experience and it is hard to imagine life without them, said Dr Mughis Sheerani, Consultant Neurologist at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Pakistan.

Speaking at a public health awareness seminar at the Ismaili Centre in Dubai, Dr Sheerani spoke at length about various types of headaches and the best ways to handle them.

The seminar was organised by the AKUH Representative Office in Dubai to raise public awareness about important health issues.

Dr Sheerani said headaches should not be ignored. He said if a headache was severe or sudden, and associated with fever or neurological symptoms such as double vision, chewing or swallowing problems, unilateral numbness or weakness, confusion or drowsiness, a person should consult a doctor immediately.

Common form

He said the most common form were tension-type headaches, though the most studied were chronic headaches such as migraines.

"Migraines can range from a ‘regular headache' to a classical one with an aura. Auras are visual warning symptoms such as flashes of light or blind spots or even tingling in the arm or leg. Most migraines are associated with some form of nausea or ‘sick-to-the-stomach' feeling," he added.

He said sometimes migraines could start from the neck region instead of in one half of the head, which was the more recognisable symptom.

"Physicians and patients both need to be aware of this problem or patients may end up getting disc surgeries for a common headache," he warned.

Dr Ehsan Bari, consultant neurosurgeon at the AKUH said lower back pain was an extremely common condition that nearly everyone experiences too.