Unique Secondary Causes of Forehead Pain

Most of the time frontal headaches are caused by migraines or tension headaches. Rarely, they are secondary headaches, meaning they are caused by another underlying medical condition. In this case, there are often other clues, besides a headache, that helps the doctor make the diagnosis. Here are examples of secondary headaches that can cause frontal head pain.

Giant Cell Arteritis

Giant cell arteritis or GCA is a large and medium blood vessel vasculitis. Vasculitis refers to inflammation of blood vessels. GCA mostly affects the branches of the external carotid artery, a large artery in the neck. The inflammation of specific arteries in GCA impairs blood flow, causing various symptoms like a headache, vision changes, and jaw pain when chewing.

The headache of giant cell arteritis classically occurs in the temples, either both or just one. It can also be localized to the forehead or even the back of the head. Or, it can be more generalized and occur "all over." Sometimes, people will say it hurts to brush their hair or put on a baseball cap.

There are usually other symptoms that hint at the diagnosis of GCA. You may have a fever or feel achy all over and experience significant fatigue and weight loss. This feeling and headache may be occurring on and off for weeks, even months. Vision changes, like a complete loss of vision in one eye or double vision, can occur with giant cell arteritis. It is sometimes this feared symptom that leads individuals to finally seek medical attention.

Brain Tumor

A brain tumor occurs when cells in the brain grow out of control and in an abnormal way. There are different types of brain tumors, and they grow at different rates, some slowly, and some rapidly. Brain tumors are generally divided into benign and malignant, with the latter having a worse prognosis. Usually, the pain of a brain tumor headache is dull and occurs all the time, or it may be a throbbing pain. Some brain tumors, on the other hand don't cause any pain at all.

Headaches from brain tumors are more common in the early morning and ease up throughout the day. A headache often occurs or is worse on the same side as the tumor. But the headache can also be generalized, especially if it is due to increased intracranial pressure (ICP) or hydrocephalus (blockage of the ventricular system in the brain).

There may be other symptoms associated with a brain tumor besides a headache. These include:

• Seizures
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of consciousness
• Memory loss or other cognitive changes
• Mood disturbances (i.e. depression) and/or personality changes
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty with language (i.e. slurred speech)
• Vision problems

Cervicogenic Headache

A cervicogenic headache occurs when head pain is referred from the neck. This type of headache is usually one-sided and can occur in the forehead region. If you have a cervicogenic headache, you will also likely have a reduced range of motion of your neck and notice onset or worsening of the pain with certain neck movements. You may also have same-sided shoulder or arm pain associated with the headache. Nausea, vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light), and phonophobia (sensitivity to sound) can occur with a cervicogenic headache.
The exact cause of this type of headache is still not clear, but it believed that the compression or irritation of the nerves in your upper neck are involved. Physical therapy is the mainstay treatment for a cervicogenic headache.

Bottom Line

Remember, frontal headaches are usually benign and not due to an alarming cause. The above examples are rare and can only be properly diagnosed by a healthcare provider. If you have headache alert signs or are just worried about a rather persistent headache, please seek medical attention so you can be properly assessed.