Cardiac cephalalgia is a severe headache that is a symptom of ischemic heart disease — a common type of heart disease that is caused by narrowing of the major heart muscle arteries, or coronary stenosis.
Severe Headache Expert reports that this condition is fairly rare; many cardiologists have not seen even one case of cardiac cephalalgia in their practices.
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About 6 percent of heart attack or angina episodes involved a report of severe headache in one study, however. Some patients also report severe headaches during angioplasty procedures, which are relieved once the arteries have been treated.
A National Institutes of Health review of studies on cardiac cephalalgia stated that in half of cases the patient is having a heart attack, about 40 percent are having angina, and 10 percent have a heart rhythm disturbance.
Cardiac cephalalgia headaches are usually felt in the face, eye, or forehead. The pain is dull and felt on one side of the head. Some are experienced in the back of the head. The headaches are typically brought on by exertion. As a result of these studies, eye or ear pain may be an unusual symptom of some heart attacks.
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An older person who has heart disease risk factors may want to pay attention to severe headaches that happen after exertion and have their heart checked out, based on these studies.
Headaches may be relieved with rest, but may indicate heart problems that can get worse with no intervention.
According to the American Academy of Neurology, cardiac cephalalgia is treatable and patients should report severe headaches to their doctor if they have previous evidence of heart disease and/or risk factors for ischemic heart disease.
Typical symptoms of ischemic heart disease include radiating chest pain, arm pain, and sometimes pain in the jaw or other nearby areas.
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