Migraines accompanied by fever: Origins, remedies, and precautions
Headaches and Fever: Understanding the Connection
Headaches and fever can be concerning symptoms, often leaving individuals seeking answers. While various health conditions can cause both, it's essential to understand the potential causes and when to seek medical attention.
Firstly, it's crucial to note that encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, can be dangerous and should be treated promptly. However, this condition is less likely to be the cause of a headache and fever, as it typically presents with additional symptoms such as confusion, seizures, and changes in personality and behaviour.
More commonly, severe headaches with fever are indicative of an infectious cause, particularly viral or bacterial.
Viral Infections
One of the most well-known viral infections causing headaches and fever is influenza, or the flu. Unlike a common cold, flu symptoms are more severe and systemic, including an abrupt onset of high fever, severe headache, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, cough, and sore throat.
Other viral infections, such as Dengue Fever, can also cause a high fever, severe headache, and other symptoms like rash, muscle and joint pain, and pain behind the eyes. Dengue is mosquito-borne and more common in tropical regions.
Bacterial Infections
Bacterial infections like Typhoid Fever and Leptospirosis can cause high fever and headache, with typhoid often accompanied by abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, and leptospirosis can cause jaundice and muscle aches. These infections can be serious if left untreated.
Other Possibilities
Other possibilities include meningitis, sinus infections, and severe migraines. Meningitis symptoms may include neck pain or stiffness, light sensitivity, dizziness, confusion, and nausea and vomiting. Sinus headaches can stem from a sinus infection and cause a headache and fever, but the presence of fever can vary. Severe migraines can cause headache but usually not fever.
COVID-19 and Headaches
Some people with COVID-19 have experienced migraine episodes, and headaches can be a symptom of long COVID. A study found that 44% of participants with COVID-19 had headaches, lasting an average of one week, but 13% had headaches lasting over a month. Other potential symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, dry cough, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, and flu-like symptoms.
Migraine Management
Regular exercise is recommended for people who experience frequent migraine episodes, and self-care techniques for headaches may include placing a cool compress on the forehead, lying down in a silent, dark room, taking over-the-counter pain medication, resting or sleeping.
However, only a healthcare professional can diagnose migraine and provide the right management and treatment recommendations. Medications such as calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants can help prevent or treat migraine episodes. Anyone with migraine but no fever should see a doctor if they have more than one migraine episode per week, migraine begins to interfere with regular activities, or over-the-counter medication is insufficient to ease the pain and other symptoms.
Emergency Situations
A person needs emergency medical care if a dental abscess occurs with a high temperature, a decreased level of consciousness, headache, dehydration. A cancerous tumor can cause pain, a fever, fatigue, changes in bowel or bladder function, unusual bleeding or discharge, and a lump.
In summary, severe headache with fever commonly indicates an infectious cause, especially viral or bacterial. Distinguishing them typically requires evaluating other associated symptoms and diagnostic testing. If you experience a severe headache with fever, it's essential to seek medical attention promptly.
- A naive individual might mistake encephalitis for a common headache and fever, but it's essential to recognize its additional symptoms such as confusion, seizures, and changes in personality and behavior.
- Influenza, or the flu, is a well-known viral infection that causes severe headaches, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, cough, and sore throat.
- Dengue Fever, a mosquito-borne disease more common in tropics, can cause high fever, severe headache, rash, muscle and joint pain, and pain behind the eyes.
- Migraines are often associated with headache but usually not fever. However, a severe migraine can be deceiving, causing headache but no fever.
- Qulipta, a medication used to treat migraine, has shown to be effective in preventing or alleviating migraine episodes.
- Neurological disorders, mental health conditions, and various medical-conditions can lead to headaches and fever, but they generally present with a unique combination of symptoms.
- Health-and-wellness practices such as exercise and self-care techniques are crucial for managing migraines; however, only a healthcare professional can diagnose and provide the right treatment plans.
