DIFFERENCES AND RELATIONS BETWEEN "HEADACHE" AS A SYMPTOM AND AS A DISEASE

Mingrun Zou¹, Ying Chen²

¹The First College for Clinical Medicine of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China - ²Deputy Chief Physician and Associate Professor of the District 2 of the Department of Encephalopathy, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China

Introduction: To discuss the differences and relations between “headache” as a symptom and as a disease.

Materials and methods: By consulting related literatures, the meanings of "headache", "symptom" and "disease" were analyzed, and the differences and relations between symptom "headache" and disease "headache" were analyzed in several different aspects: historical development, clinical manifestations, etiology, pathogenesis, disease location, treatment and prescription. 

Results: The symptom "headache" and disease "headache" had different meanings. The latter covered the former in clinical manifestations, and both of them could be divided into external contraction and internal injuries according to their causes. However, different pathogenesis leads to different disease locations. Dispelling exogenous pathogens and tonifying internal deficiency are the common points in treatment. The former is often treated with one or two specific drugs, while the latter is often treated with more drugs compared with the former.

Conclusion: Through comprehensive analysis and research, more targeted ideas can be used for clinical diagnosis and treatment of the "headache".