Warning Signs of a Thunderclap Headache
August 29th, 2008 by admin
Many researchers believe that thunderclap headaches are a warning that a blood vessel may be about to burst in your head. Your doctor will be looking for many potentially dangerous brain abnormalities. These may include a tear around the spinal cord and brain that may be leaking spinal fluid, thus causing a sudden, thunderclap headache. There will also be concerns about a ruptured blood vessel, a blood clot or a tear in an artery leading into the brain, or a bulging blood vessel about to burst. Your doctor should conduct several tests to confirm that there is no major medical problem underlying your thunderclap headache. Most likely they will start with a CT scan. The CT is a computerized type of x-ray that will create cross sectional images of your brain. An MRI, which is a test that uses radio waves and a magnetic field, will also create detailed images of your brain. A spinal tap may be required, which will remove spinal fluid from your body in order to test it for any abnormalities in your white blood cells, or any proteins.
Posted in Health & Fitness
