We’ve all been there: feeling a random headache and googling brain tumor symptoms in a panic. Well, often this only makes things worse, escalating stress and discomfort. But how can you tell if your headache is harmless?
While most headaches are harmless, a neurologist warns that certain symptoms could indicate something more serious, like a brain aneurysm. Dr. Bing, a board-certified neurologist popular on TikTok as a brain health advocate, shares three headache signs you should not ignore.
“Most headaches are harmless, however, if someone has new headaches or new features, those might need to be evaluated further,” Dr. Bing said in a video on TikTok.
Thunderclap Headaches:
Dr Bing describes this as a sudden escalation of pain, the headache that receives 10 out of 10 pain within a minute. “And people usually describe it as the worst headache of their lives. The most important thing to rule out here is subarachnoid hemorrhage usually caused by a ruptured aneurysm,” Dr. Bing said.
However, not all sudden severe headaches indicate aneurysm, there could be other reasons as well. “This includes things like RCVS, which is intermittent narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain, as well as cerebral venous thrombosis, which is a clot in a major vein in the brain,” Dr. Bing added.
New Headaches After the Age of 50:
Since the chances of developing new headaches and migraines decrease with age, people over the age of 50 who happen to get new headaches should get themselves checked to rule out possibilities like hematomas, tumors, and infections, Dr. Bing said.
If the new headache is also accompanied by vision changes and symptoms like scalp tenderness and pain while chewing, Dr. Bing suggests the possibility of giant cell arthritis.
“This is an inflammatory condition of the blood vessels and can lead to permanent blindness if not treated quickly with high-dose steroids, ” Dr. Bing explained.
New Headache with Eye Issues:
According to Dr. Bing, if a person develops a new headache along with eye issues such as drooping of one eyelid, dilation of that pupil, and double vision, it is time to get immediate medical attention as it could be the best chance to prevent aneurysm before rupturing and causing life-threatening situations.
“I specifically mentioned this because it’s one of the few times that we can catch a brain aneurysm before it ruptures. The specific set of symptoms can be caused by an aneurysm compressing on the third cranial nerves,” Dr. Bing said.
