Getting Ahead of Headaches

Bayview News, Vol. 22, #3
August 2006

Migraine, tension, cluster, sinus—the types of headaches people experience are as varied as the people themselves. No matter what kind, headache sufferers agree—headaches are a real pain!

According to the American Headache Society, every 10 seconds someone in the United States goes to the ER with a headache or migraine. Though an ER visit may offer temporary relief, it’s best to see someone who understands the process and many varieties of headaches.

The new Headache Center, founded by Jason Rosenberg, M.D., assistant professor of neurology and director of the new Johns Hopkins Headache Center at Hopkins Bayview, provides a multidisciplinary approach featuring a broad range of treatments for the hundreds of types of headaches from which people suffer. Eleven physicians—with specialties in vascular medicine, pediatrics, anesthesia/pain control, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, hydrocephalus and psychiatry—will work with the center. To better coordinate these services, nurse practitioner Cynthia Schuster, CRNP and coordinator Beverly Wesko also have joined the staff.

According to Dr. Rosenberg, headaches are the illness for which patients are most frequently referred to the neurological department; that 12 percent of the U.S. population suffers from migraines, which have symptoms far worse than typical headaches; and that nearly one-third of young women have migraines. (Hormonal differences between the female and male brain may be one reason more women suffer from migraines; pregnancy and the influence of the menstrual cycle also can be factors). Most patients with chronic headaches are young, employed and become significantly disabled.

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