When a Headache Is More Than Just a Headache

When a Headache Is More Than Just a Headache

Shortly before his death in 1945, our 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been vacationing in Warm Springs, Georgia, and was heard to remark, “I have a terrific pain in the back of my head.”  Moments later he was comatose, and by that Thursday evening, April 12, Harry Truman was the 33rd president.

Massive cerebral hemorrhage, i.e. a burst blood vessel in the brain, otherwise known as stroke, was what caused Roosevelt’s headache and subsequent demise.  In this country, after heart attacks and cancer, it is the leading cause of death.  Given our fast-paced lifestyle in this region of the country headaches are a manifestation of stress and tension.  And because headaches are so common, the term itself has worked its way into our vernacular, often used to describe a person or situation that we would sooner like to avoid.

But headaches can be serious and portend deeper and more deadly problems than one would assume, especially in later middle age.  According to Harvard Men’s Health Watch, and I quote that source verbatim, the following are some of the warning signs that indicate the need for prompt medical care:

 headaches that first develop after age 50;
 a major change in the pattern of headaches:
 an unusually severe “worst headache ever”;
 pain that increases with coughing or movement;
 headaches that that steadily get worse;
 changes in personality or mental function;
 headaches that are accompanied by fever stiff neck, confusion, or neurologic symptoms;
 headaches after a blow to the head;
 headaches that prevent normal daily activities; and
 headaches that come abruptly.

Fortunately, most headaches are simply that, a nuisance and minor inconvenience that can be self treated by simple lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, and over the counter medications.  But for more persistent or painful headaches consult your physician, and PLEASE, do not ignore the warning signs.

The Perio-Cardio Connection

The Perio-Cardio Connection

In February I sent out a newsletter explaining the connection between periodontal (gum) disease and diabetes, a metabolic disorder involving how the body handles sugar and the complications resulting from that disorder.  Diabetes compromises the healing capacity of the body and predisposes that person to periodontal disease.  However, the converse is also true.  Periodontal disease increases the vulnerability of that patient to diabetes by introducing additional bacteria into the body.

Periodontal disease leads to other systemic complications, most notably, heart disease.  Those with a history of rheumatic fever or heart murmurs would know.  The protocol for those patients prior to a dental prophylaxis (cleaning) is to pre-medicate with antibiotic so that bacteria which exist in the gums do not, as a result of the cleaning or extraction, penetrate through any openings in the gum and enter the blood system and travel to the heart where they can further damage the heart valves, possibly leading to Endocarditis (a heart infection) and even death.

The connection between periodontal and cardiac health, at one time considered possible, is now accepted knowledge.  Not only are they connected, they are, in fact, interdependent and even genetically linked, as borne out by studies in Germany last year.  In addition to diabetes, the two also increase a person’s risk to smoking and obesity.

Oral health and general physical health are no longer considered two separate and independent entities.  It can be inferred that by treating gum disease early a person can lower his risk to heart disease and other systemic ailments.