We have all suffered from headaches throughout our lives, however the impact of this kind of ailment is not the same depending on the age range in which we find ourselves. After the age of 50, headaches not only become less frequent but also less severe. On the other hand, recurring symptoms, such as vomiting, nausea or sensitivity to sound or light, are considerably reduced. Even so, headaches represent a very frequent pathology in the elderly, especially when it comes to chronic pain or pain linked to a more serious disease.
Causes of headaches in the elderly
It must also be taken into account that a large part of the headaches that we suffer from the age of 50, especially the so-called primary ones, had already manifested previously, even from youth. This is the case of tension headaches as well as cluster headaches or migraines. In fact, it is rare for a pathology of this class to appear for the first time in the elderly, which is why we must be especially careful if we notice any related symptoms in this age range.
A very common factor that triggers headaches in elderly women is the medication intake itself. In this way, older women have to observe if their migraines have some kind of relationship with the prescription of some new medication or if, on the other hand, it is a side effect of the same. An effective way to rule out these options is to reduce the dose of the drug or change it to another.
Of course, we find headaches that are characteristic of an advanced age, although exceptionally they can occur in youth. Such is the case of neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve, aura migraines, giant cell arteritis, hypnotic headache, herpes or subdural hematoma.