If you ask the public what symptom is most common, most people will answer that it is a headache. It occurs due to many reasons. In some cases, this is ordinary fatigue, while in others it is serious neurological and infectious pathologies. Most often, discomfort is noted in the forehead, eyes and temples. According to the localization of pain, its prevalence and nature, it is possible to compile a list of ailments for differential diagnosis. Also, the doctor will be helped by information about what precedes the appearance of unpleasant sensations and how they stop. It will be possible to establish the final diagnosis for pain in the forehead thanks to an instrumental examination.
It is worth noting that the occurrence of discomfort in the head is rarely associated with an organic lesion. Most often, pain is a sign of an intoxication syndrome or changes in atmospheric and blood pressure. The most common causes include sinusitis, migraine and hypertension.
Why does forehead pain appear?
The frontal region is the part of the head that is in contact with almost allskull structures. It is adjacent to the eye sockets, temporal and nasal bones. Under the frontal bone are the membranes of the brain. There are also blood vessels and cranial nerves in this area. In this regard, complaints that the head hurts in the forehead and presses can mean many different disorders. Determining the cause of such a common symptom can be difficult.
People often complain that they periodically have a headache, forehead or other nearby areas. Some do not attach much importance to this and do not seek help from doctors. Indeed, rare and non-intense pain does not indicate pathology at all. They may also occur normally. For example, with changes in atmospheric pressure, intoxication of the body with a cold, a hangover, etc. Such discomfort goes away on its own and does not affect he alth. However, if a person constantly has a headache, forehead and eyes, it is worth thinking about the presence of violations. The causes of discomfort include the following groups of factors:
- Infections.
- Inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses or nerves.
- Vascular disorders.
- Migraine.
- Head injuries.
- Increased intracranial or ocular pressure.
- Tumours of the brain or its membranes.
Each of these groups of factors includes many diseases accompanied by pain in the forehead. Only a doctor will be able to identify the source of the problem after the examination. It should be noted that acute pain syndrome often indicates a seriouspathological condition requiring emergency care. If the discomfort is mild, then treatment can wait until an accurate diagnosis is established. However, don't wait to see a doctor.
Pain during infectious processes
Often, patients complain that it hurts in the forehead and eyes. This symptom occurs both in infections and in acute inflammatory processes. Similar pains can appear with influenza, sore throat, respiratory viral infections. In these cases, discomfort does not mean that there are any structural abnormalities in the head. The pain syndrome develops against the background of intoxication and stops after the elimination of the underlying pathology. The exceptions are infections that affect the membranes and substance of the brain. Examples are diseases such as encephalitis and meningitis. These inflammatory processes are accompanied by severe headaches and neurological disorders. To identify them, special clinical and laboratory diagnostics are required. Meningitis can be suspected if the patient complains that he has an unbearable headache, forehead, and orbital region. Symptoms are accompanied by severe intoxication and meningeal signs. When the substance of the brain is involved in the inflammatory process, neurological disorders appear.
Another common cause of forehead pain is sinusitis. These include sinusitis, ethmoiditis and frontal sinusitis. All these pathologies are characterized by the penetration of microbes into the paranasal sinuses. The mechanism of pain syndrome isaccumulation of inflammatory exudate in the sinuses and pressure on their membranes. This is accompanied by an increase in temperature and a violation of the outflow of mucus. In some cases, inflammation passes to nearby structures, in particular, to the facial and trigeminal nerve. This occurs in the absence of timely treatment of sinusitis. The headache is accompanied by a violation of sensitivity and asymmetry of the face. Eliminate inflammation of the paranasal sinuses is possible only with the help of antibacterial drugs. In severe cases, surgery is required.
Features of discomfort in the forehead with migraine
A migraine may be the cause of a headache in the forehead and eyes. This is a common disease, the pathogenesis of which has not yet been elucidated. It is believed that migraine is associated with the genetic characteristics of the body. Sudden attacks of severe headache appear due to dysregulation of the tone of small vessels. It is almost impossible to detect migraine through laboratory and instrumental studies. The diagnosis is often made on the basis of clinical manifestations. These include:
- Typical localization of pain.
- Sudden onset of seizure.
- The presence of a specific aura preceding discomfort.
In most cases, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, flashes of light before the eyes (photopsies), general weakness, and tinnitus occur before migraine attacks. Patients complain of sudden and unbearable pain in the head, forehead, eyes, neck. Typicallocalization is one half of the face and skull. Pain is difficult to control with medication. The discomfort usually goes away on its own in 30-60 minutes. Aromatherapy and massage are used to relieve discomfort.
Pain in violation of cerebral circulation
Often at the doctor's appointment, the patient complains that his forehead hurts and puts pressure on his eyes. This is often associated with increased intracranial pressure. Hypertension occurs for many reasons. It is most often the result of a head injury. Intracranial pressure rises due to stagnation of cerebrospinal fluid in the spinal cord or brain. In this case, pain receptors located in the meningeal membranes and vessels are irritated. To alleviate the condition, a spinal cord puncture is required.
Patients with arterial hypertension also often complain that their head hurts, presses on the forehead, temples and eyes. Pathology is common among the elderly, but can also develop in young people. Hypertension has been associated with many causes. Among them: diseases of the kidneys, heart, endocrine glands. In addition to forehead pressure, symptoms include tinnitus, nausea, and dizziness. The systematic use of antihypertensive drugs helps to cope with the pathology.
Unbearable headache that appears suddenly is one of the symptoms of acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke). The causes of this condition are arterial hypertension and vascular thromboembolism. The disease requires immediate surgical treatment. Apart fromsevere pain, pathology is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, as well as neurological manifestations (paralysis, convulsions, visual impairment). Violation of the blood circulation of the brain can be chronic. In such a case, it is called dyscirculatory encephalopathy (DEP). Symptoms of pathology: pain in the head, impaired memory and sleep. To reduce the manifestations of encephalopathy, regular monitoring and treatment by a neurologist is required.
Other causes of pain
In addition to the listed ailments, there are many reasons why a person has a sore forehead and eyes. Among them are neurological, endocrinological, oncological and other pathologies. In some cases, headache and pressure on the eyes are due to ophthalmic disorders. These include: astigmatism, myopia, glaucoma. Other reasons include:
- Chronic fatigue. Due to a violation of the sleep and rest regimen, an overstrain of the nervous system often develops. In addition, it may be associated with stressful influences. Neurosis is accompanied by a constant headache, sleep disturbance, nutrition and emotional control.
- Tumours of the brain. Regardless of whether there is a benign formation in the head or cancer, this affects the patient's condition. Any tumor of the brain or its membranes causes irritation of pain receptors. In addition, symptoms of the neoplasm are convulsions, visual disturbances, facial asymmetry, mental and neurological manifestations.
- Head injuries. These include injuries andconcussion. Injuries are accompanied by nausea, impaired consciousness and coordination. Discomfort in the forehead usually joins later and can bother a person for a long time.
- Chronic alcoholism and other intoxications. Constant exposure to harmful substances on brain neurons leads to their death. In addition, toxins cause damage to the vascular system. As a result, chronic pressing pains develop that are difficult to treat.
- Frequently watching TV, listening to music and working at the computer. All this leads to an overload of the organs of hearing and vision, resulting in the development of nervous tension and headache.
These are the main causes of discomfort in the forehead. In addition to them, there are other harmful factors: the accumulation of toxic substances used in food, hypoxia, changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure, etc. Mental pathologies can be distinguished separately.
Diagnostic for headaches
Headache examinations include examinations by specialists such as an otolaryngologist, an ophthalmologist, and a neurologist. Standard diagnostic methods are:
- Electroencephalography.
- X-ray of the skull and paranasal sinuses.
- Ophthalmoscopy.
- Ultrasound examination: neurosonography (NSG) and EchoEG.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.
Start diagnostic search with simpler research methods. If the source of the headachecould not be identified, an MRI of the brain is performed. It will help to identify organic pathology, if any. In the absence of structural disorders, careful laboratory diagnostics is required (to identify toxic effects). If the cause has not been found out, more complex examinations are prescribed. Among them are PET-CT, examination by a psychologist, etc.
Differential for headaches
Headache is such a common symptom that it can be very difficult to identify the cause of its occurrence, even for experienced doctors. First of all, the therapist finds out the features of clinical manifestations. These include: the nature of the pain, its duration, localization and irradiation, concomitant symptoms. Based on the survey and examination, the doctor puts forward a presumptive diagnosis and prescribes an examination.
The presence of signs of infection indicates the inflammatory nature of the disease. In such cases, an x-ray examination of the sinuses is recommended. Most often, pain in such cases is associated with sinusitis or frontal sinusitis.
With an increase in blood pressure, it is required to perform ultrasound and dopplerography of cerebral vessels. The detection of atherosclerotic plaques in the arterial bed indicates chronic hypoxia and the development of encephalopathy.
Violation of motor function and consciousness, convulsive syndrome, changes in pupils are indications for urgent brain tomography. Sudden pains for no apparent reason often indicate the presence of vegetative-vascular dystonia or migraine.
Help at home
Not all patients who experience pressure in the forehead seek medical attention. Pain relief can also be done at home. To do this, a towel moistened with cold water is placed on the head, and warm baths with aromatic oils are taken. If these measures do not help, you can drink an anesthetic drug. Such medicines include medicines "Ketons", "Analgin". With a decrease in blood pressure, taking sweet tea or strong coffee, as well as the Citramon drug, helps. However, if the pains recur again, an examination is required. Symptomatic therapy provides only temporary relief and leads to addiction. At the same time, the cause of the pathology remains undetected.
Forehead hurts and presses: what to do?
Treatment of pain syndrome includes etiotropic, pathogenetic and symptomatic therapy. To influence the cause of the pathology, antihypertensive, antibacterial and neuroprotective drugs are prescribed. The choice of medication depends on the source of pain. In severe sinusitis, a puncture of the paranasal sinus is required and its cleansing from the accumulated purulent exudate. Surgical treatment may be required for acute ischemic circulatory disorders, brain tumors and intracranial hypertension.
Headache prevention
Predicting the appearance of a headache is impossible. However, in order to protect yourself from this symptom, it is worth spending more time outdoors, resting from work, getting enough sleep and not abusing viewing. TV. When discomfort occurs, you should try to avoid stress. If all measures are taken, and the pain persists, you need to seek help.
