5 Headache Symptoms A Neurologist Would Never Ignore

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about signs a lymphoma doctor would never ignore. These include heavy sweating, losing weight without meaning to, and feeling exhausted no matter how well you sleep.

And according to Dr Nada Hindiyeh, a neurologist and the chief medical officer of Haven Headache and Migraine Centre, some headache signs are always worth investigating, too.

“As a headache neurologist, there are several symptoms that can be concerning because they may point to something more serious than a primary headache disorder like migraine,” she shared.

Here are five signs she thinks should always be addressed:

These involve sudden, agonising pain that doesn’t go away. Thunderclap headaches “reach maximum intensity within seconds to a minute [and are] often described as the ‘worst headache of [patients’] life,” Dr Hindiyeh said.

“This can be a sign of sudden bleeding around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage) and requires immediate emergency evaluation.”

The NHS says you should call 999 or go to A&E if you have a thunderclap headache.

Dr Hindiyeh said she’d also never ignore a new headache that comes alongside various brain-related symptoms.

These include “sudden weakness, numbness, difficulty speaking, confusion, vision loss, or trouble walking,” she said.

While generally non-life-threatening migraine aura – warning signs of a migraine that can include seeing flashing lights, zig-zag lines, and dizziness – “can cause neurological symptoms, stroke symptoms typically begin abruptly and warrant urgent assessment.”

The neurologist said it’s always worth exploring “a new or markedly different headache, especially in someone over the age of 50 or in someone with no prior history of migraine.

“A headache that is different from a person’s usual pattern deserves medical attention.”

Some research suggests these might point to conditions like temporal arteritis (inflamed arteries) or a space-occupying lesion (abnormal brain growths).

“I also pay close attention to headaches that are progressively worsening over days to weeks or a new pattern change, particularly if they wake someone from sleep, are worse when lying down or with coughing and straining, or are associated with persistent vomiting,” Dr Hindiyeh stated.

Those that are accompanied by “fever, neck stiffness, altered mental status, seizures, or cancer or immune system disorders require prompt evaluation because they may indicate an infection, inflammation, or another secondary cause,” the neurologist ended.

Meningitis, which is a medical emergency, can include symptoms like a fever, a stiff neck, and a severe headache that’s getting worse. This is only one possible cause of symptoms like these, however.

Remember, Dr Hindiyeh said, that “Most headaches are not dangerous.

“But when a headache is sudden, significantly different from usual, or associated with new neurological symptoms or other red flags, it should never be ignored.”