Pneumonic toxic headaches are a type of vascular headache – that you’ve probably never heard of before. During a vascular headache, blood vessels in the tissue surrounding the head swell or dilate and become distended (twisted out of shape). This causes intense pain that increases with physical exertion of any kind.
Pneumonic headaches are vascular headaches that throb unrelentingly and can be as blinding and incapacitating as a migraine so it can be hard to tell them apart. In fact, migraines and cluster headaches, as well as pneumonia headaches, are all types of vascular headache.
A toxic headache typically accompanies or results from a fever during an illness. Toxic chemicals introduced into the body can cause a toxic headache as the name suggests. For instance, headaches that accompany hangovers are toxic headaches caused by alcohol consumption.
In addition, many other chemicals that cause toxic headaches include insecticides, solvents (like paint thinners), lead, and even some household cleaners. However, not all toxins are from outside chemicals. Toxins can be and often are produced by any living organism that invades your system, as is typically the case with pneumonia toxic headaches.
Pneumonic headaches are a cause for concern because they are vascular headaches associated with pneumonia and toxins introduced into the body because of the illness you’ve just had or still have. Pneumonia is an inflammation or infection of the lungs that is in itself a dangerous illness and a leading cause of death even in developed countries. The many causes of pneumonia include bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, mycoplasmas, and other toxic pathogens.
All types of pneumonia can be accompanied by pneumonic headaches. One final point that bears emphasis is that pain is part of the body’s alert system. Any pain that is associated with an illness, like pneumonia, may be a warning of the development or an indication of an even more severe problem. Since pneumonia toxic headaches are part of an already acute illness, treatment for them should follow your physicians guidelines for treatment of pneumonia. Don’t just assume this type of headche can be treated normally – this simply isn’t always the case.
So now you know exactly what a pneumonic toxic headache is and what causes is you’re better prepared to recognize one and deal with it – if you ever have to.