A red flag headache is a headache that causes other symptoms such as fever, is sudden or onset, has a pattern change or recent onset of new headache, positional headache etc.
Red flags for headaches include sudden, abrupt, or split-second.
OLDER: new onset and progressive headache, especially in middle age/ages 50 and older (not applicable in children) PREVIOUS HEADACHE HISTORY: first headache or different (change in attack frequency, severity or clinical features)
Most headaches are not serious and usually go away within a few hours or so.
However if the headache lasts longer than a day or gets worse or they come back too often then you should see a doctor as it could be an indicator of something serious such as a brain tumor.
Some signs that your headache may be serious or the headache occurs frequently or gets worse.
Or you experience confusion, mental coordination etc.
Headaches That Cause Change in Mental Function or Coordination.
If your headache is intense and also comes with weakness, loss of coordination, or confusion, we encourage you to seek medical attention immediately.
Headaches that cause changes to your mental function or coordination can be a sign of stroke.
Other signs that your headache may be serious include.
A sudden, very intense headache pain (thunderclap headache)
A severe or sharp headache pain for the first time.
A stiff neck and fever.
A fever higher than 102 to 104°F.
Nausea and vomiting.
A nosebleed.
Fainting.
And dizziness or loss of balance.
Daily Headaches are usually nothing to worry about.
However if the daily headaches last longer than a few days or get worse then get checked out to be sure.
Daily headaches can sometimes be dangerous especially if the daily headaches are accompanied by a fever, stiff neck, confusion, decreased alertness or memory, or neurological symptoms including blurry vision etc then the daily headache could be something serious.
If you're having daily headaches and they seem to get worse or will not go away or they are accompanied with other symptoms like mentioned above then you should see a doctor or go to urgent care.
But sometimes daily headaches may be just from stress or loud noises etc.
I sometimes get daily headaches and they usually sometimes last as long as 1 to 2 weeks.
However they usually don't occur everyday but if you have daily headaches that last everyday then I would recommend getting the headaches checked out.
Sometimes headaches can be caused by brain tumors or other brain cancer so you want to be sure it's nothing serious.
But if taking some pain medicine such as aspirin helps get rid of the daily headaches then it's likely nothing serious but still a good idea to let a doctor know about it.