Why Does My Left Upper Head Hurt Dullly?
A dull pain in the upper left side of the head, commonly known as headache, can be caused by various factors such as infection, vascular diseases, space-occupying lesions, cranial or neck neuropathy, and other reasons. Headache is a common clinical symptom that typically manifests as pain limited to the upper half of the head, including the supraorbital ridge, the superior margin of the auricle, and the area above the occipital protuberance.
The causes of headache are numerous and can be broadly classified into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary headaches cannot be attributed to a specific cause and are also known as idiopathic headaches. Common examples include migraine and tension-type headache. Secondary headaches, on the other hand, can be caused by various intracranial pathologies such as cerebrovascular diseases, intracranial infections, craniocerebral trauma, as well as systemic diseases like fever, internal environmental disorders, and abuse of psychoactive drugs.
Some of the potential causes of headache include:
Infection: Infectious diseases of the craniocerebral region or acute infections in other systems of the body can often lead to headache. Common craniocerebral infections that can cause headache include meningitis, meningoencephalitis, encephalitis, brain abscess, and intracranial parasitic infections (such as cysticercosis and echinococcosis). Acute infections like influenza and pneumonia can also trigger headache.
Vascular diseases: Vascular pathologies such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral thrombosis, cerebral embolism, hypertensive encephalopathy, cerebral ischemia, and cerebrovascular malformations can cause headache.
Space-occupying lesions: Tumors of the craniocerebral region, intracranial metastatic cancer, and inflammatory demyelinating pseudotumors can increase intracranial pressure, leading to headache.
Cranial, facial, and neck neuropathy: Neuralgia in the head and face, such as trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and occipital neuralgia, can cause headache. Diseases of the eyes, ears, nose, and teeth can also lead to headache. Cervical spine disease and other neck pathologies can trigger pain in the head and neck region.
It is important to consult a healthcare provider for accurate diagnosis and treatment of headache, as the underlying cause can vary significantly from person to person.
