Headache

Ninety percent of the population has at least one headache per year. Headaches often are related to stress, allergies or a hangover resulting from drinking too much alcohol. However, severe or recurring headaches, especially those accompanied by other symptoms, may be a sign of a more serious disorder and should be treated by a doctor. The condition affects people of all ages and about 6 percent of children experience migraines.

Headache specialists at the UCSF Headache Center diagnose and treat headache in patients of all ages, including children and adolescents. The center is the first of its kind on the West coast, providing comprehensive outpatient and inpatient hospital care to relieve the most debilitating headaches that don't respond to medications and other therapies. In addition, the center conducts basic and clinical research, exploring the basic mechanisms of headache and how existing and novel therapies might treat the debilitating disorder.

Our specialists work closely with you and your primary care doctor to develop a long-term, effective treatment plan. When appropriate, we also work with experts in neurosurgery, ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology and those at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, which combines conventional and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, herbs, massage and meditation for treating headaches.

Before meeting with a headache specialist, maintaining a headache journal that tracks headache patterns - such as the location and severity of the pain, duration of the pain, medications taken and possible headache triggers - can provide helpful information for your diagnosis and treatment.

Audio Interviews

More than 35 million Americans have migraine headaches. What is a migraine headache? What treatments are available? How is it diagnosed? What triggers it? Hear a Patient Power interview with Dr. Peter Goadsby, director of the UCSF Headache Center and an internationally known migraine expert, who answers these questions and more.

Hear Dr. Goadsby talk about "hope for headaches" and the unnecessary frustration of patients who have endured misdiagnoses and missed opportunities for relief.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated September 18, 2008