This module will discuss the different types of headaches, how this problem originates, advance signs and symptoms, when and how it can impact lupus, and ways to manage the pain. The following Web sites discuss headaches and migraines. One of the complicated things about dealing with lupus is that many manifestations of the disease frequently occur as part of the other, minor illnesses or even as everyday physical sensations of no clinical consequence. For example, fever, fatigue, and muscle aches and pains may all be part of episodic viral syndromes. Lupus patients are confronted repeatedly with the task of differentiating between the two.
Headaches represent another typical symptom of everyday life, and minor illnesses.
So the question I'd like to address is when and how headache may reflect underlying lupus activity. There are no accurate data on the incidence of all types of headache in lupus. 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.