Headaches Are Serious Neurological Diseases, Not Just Symptoms, Experts Warn

A headache is not always just a headache. This distinction—seemingly simple but profoundly important—was the central message at Argentina's first regional conference on headache disorders, held in late September at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. Specialists from around the world gathered to make a case that has been overlooked for too long: that migraines and chronic headaches are serious neurological diseases deserving of the same clinical attention and research funding as any other condition that disrupts human life.

The medical world recognizes roughly 150 types of headaches, divided into two broad categories. Primary headaches—migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches—occur on their own, with specific diagnostic criteria. Secondary headaches arise as consequences of other underlying illnesses. But the distinction that matters most is the one between a temporary discomfort and a chronic disease. A headache from a cold vanishes when the cold does. A migraine can persist for years, decades, or a lifetime. According to the World Health Organization, migraines rank as the eighth most disabling disease on the planet, affecting roughly one in seven people over the age of 35. The pain is typically severe and throbbing—a pulsing sensation that can render a person unable to work, think, or function.

The pandemic added a new dimension to this problem. A 2022 study by Spain's Neurology Society found that one in five COVID-19 patients who experienced headaches during acute infection developed chronic headaches that persisted for up to two months afterward. More troubling: if that headache lasted thirty days, there was a fifty percent chance it would continue for nine months more. The mechanism remains unclear—fever explains some of it, but not all. Researchers are still working to understand how the virus triggers or worsens headache disorders, a question that could illuminate the broader physiology of pain itself.

Dr. Cristina Tassorelli, president of the International Headache Society, emphasized during the conference that migraines represent far more than discomfort. They are a serious neurological illness with enormous impact on patients' lives—interrupting work, relationships, education, and daily routines. Yet many patients remain undiagnosed or undertreated. Some suffer from refractory migraines, a particularly stubborn form characterized by sharp, piercing pain that can extend into the neck and face, accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. These cases often do not respond to conventional medications, leaving patients trapped in cycles of pain with few options.

Dr. María Teresa Goicochea, head of the Headache Clinic at the Fleni Foundation, stressed the importance of proper diagnosis and early intervention. Patients should not normalize living with headaches or accept them as inevitable. The first step is describing the pain clearly to a primary care physician, who can then refer the patient to a neurologist or headache specialist. In Argentina, she noted, there are excellent clinicians and specialists available—the barrier is often awareness, both among patients and within the medical community itself.

Treatment options are expanding. Beyond traditional medications, specialists now consider preventive approaches including neuromodulation, combination therapies, and even specific diets such as ketogenic protocols. Tassorelli acknowledged that while many patients with refractory migraines respond to newer preventive treatments, others do not—a gap that demands continued research and innovation. The pandemic also revealed a surge in tension-type headaches, particularly among younger people whose screen time increased dramatically during lockdowns. Unlike migraines, tension headaches typically occur once a month or less, but chronic versions can be equally debilitating despite the absence of nausea or light sensitivity.

What emerged from the conference was a call for recognition and action. Migraines and chronic headaches are not minor complaints to be dismissed or endured in silence. They are diseases that warrant proper diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing research into their mechanisms. The medical community still has much to learn—as Tassorelli put it, we see only the tip of the iceberg. But the first step toward better care is acknowledging that these conditions are serious, that they deserve attention, and that patients suffering from them deserve better than resignation.