The vascular or migrainous type headache is more likely to be a manifestation of underlying lupus so will be the focus of this article. Several studies have noted that muscle contraction headaches are also more common in patients with lupus, and often coincide with the onset of disease. However, before addressing more specific lupus headaches, it is worth reviewing the full range of types of headaches and their presumed causes. By most estimates both types of headache are about twice as common in women as in men. Other Headaches may also be manifestations of brief viral illnesses and changing doses of drugs.
Headaches can originate in a number of different structures around the head and neck.
They may begin from sustained muscle contractions around the face and the head. They may originate from inflammation of the lining of the sinuses of the nose and head. They may originate from eye strain, resulting from a spasm of the eye muscles or possibly even inflammation of the iris of the eye. Sometimes they originate from pain in the joint of the jaw called the temporal mandibular joint or they may originate from blood vessels in the head. Finally, headache can occasionally result from major changes within the brain itself such as hemorrhage, clotting, tumor or increased pressure in the fluid system within the brain, referred to as hydrocephalus.