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Headache

Headache is a symptom of facial pain or pain in head and neck. Headache can be mild or severe.

 

  • Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my headache?

 

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for headache. A doctor will take a comprehensive in-depth history and provide you with prescriptions. Depending on the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If a patient is suffering from a severe headache the doctor will direct him/her to clinic treatment.

 

  • What is headache?

 

Headache is the pain you feel from merged signals of nerves, brain and nearby structures[1]. Headache is also common with other health conditions in ear, throat, and meninges infection, or sinusitis. Headache can also occur from blow injury to the head. Aetiology can vary from benign causes to more serious conditions such as brain tumor or hemorrhage[2]. Headaches are divided into two types; primary headache includes migraines, tension and stress oriented headaches and cluster headaches, whereas secondary headaches may result from head and neck muscular imbalance[3].

 

  • What are the symptoms of headache?

 

Headache can be presented simultaneously with increased intracranial pressure. A doctor will be able to diagnose a headache by identifying characteristic symptoms. Symptoms associated with headache are photosensitivity, nausea, postural strain, vomiting and irritability[4]. Symptoms of headache can last between 30 minutes to hours[5, 6].

 

  • How is headache treated?

 

A doctor decides on treatment after taking a comprehensive history of the patient. Treatment of a headache depends on the underlying cause and investigations should be done. First of all, life-threatening conditions are excluded by the doctor at the clinic. Pain-relieving medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed to make the patient free of pain. Prescriptions for anti-depressants may be provided for the patients that suffer from migraine attacks and other types of headaches[7] [8, 9].

 

  • How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat a headache?

 

Online doctors on Gotodoctor.ca treat headache through virtual care services. An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor. Headache can be treated via virtual care methods[5, 8-15]. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms and may provide you with prescriptions[16-18]. Prescriptions can be obtained by online doctors. Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient.

 

References

1. Pascual, J., R. Colás, and J. Castillo, Epidemiology of chronic daily headache. Current pain and headache reports, 2001. 5(6): p. 529-536.
2. Burton, L.J., et al., Headache etiology in a pediatric emergency department. Pediatric emergency care, 1997. 13(1): p. 1-4.
3. Horton, B.T., The use of histamine in the treatment of specific types of headaches. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1941. 116(5): p. 377-383.
4. Poole, C., et al., Depressive symptoms and headaches in relation to proximity of residence to an alternating-current transmission line right-of-way. American journal of epidemiology, 1993. 137(3): p. 318-330.
5. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
6. Staub, G.M., J. von Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: a comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110-110.
7. Van der Horst-Bruinsma, I., et al., Diagnosis and course of early-onset arthritis: results of a special early arthritis clinic compared to routine patient care. British journal of rheumatology, 1998. 37(10): p. 1084-1088.
8. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
9. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
10. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
11. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
12. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
13. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
14. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
15. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.
16. Vaghef-Davari, F., et al., Approach to Acute Abdominal Pain: Practical Algorithms. Advanced journal of emergency medicine, 2019. 4(2): p. e29-e29.
17. Westergaard, M.L., et al., Prescription pain medications and chronic headache in Denmark: implications for preventing medication overuse. European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2015. 71(7): p. 851-860.
18. Sheffet, M.J. and S.W. Kopp, Advertising prescription drugs to the public: headache or relief? Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 1990. 9(1): p. 42-61.

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