US Medical Term · symptoms
Headache
Dolor de cabeza
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Headache |
| Spanish (Español) | Dolor de cabeza |
| Chinese (中文) | 頭痛 |
| Korean (한국어) | 두통 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Đau đầu |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Sakit ng ulo |
| Portuguese (Português) | Dor de cabeça |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | อาการปวดศีรษะ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 頭痛 |
What it means
A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Headaches can feel like throbbing, pressing, or squeezing and range from mild to severe. Common types include tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches. Triggers include stress, dehydration, poor sleep, eyestrain, or infections such as a cold or flu. Most headaches respond to rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medicines. Seek immediate care if your headache is sudden and extremely severe, follows a head injury, or comes with fever, stiff neck, confusion, vision changes, or weakness, as these can signal a serious condition.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
I have had a headache for the past three days that will not go away.
He tenido dolor de cabeza durante los últimos tres días y no desaparece.
My headache is mostly on one side of my head and I feel nauseated.
Mi dolor de cabeza es principalmente en un lado de la cabeza y siento náuseas.
Over-the-counter pain medicine is not helping my headache.
Los medicamentos para el dolor sin receta no me están ayudando con el dolor de cabeza.
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
R51 HeadacheRelated terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026