Factores de riesgo y estrategias para el control de la cefalea

Abstract

Headache is among the most prevalent neurological conditions worldwide and causes significant functional limitation, with direct impacts on quality of life. It is characterized as pain in the cranial region, facial area, or upper portion of the neck, resulting from the activation of sensitive structures such as blood vessels, meninges, and cranial nerves, highlighting its multifactorial nature and the interaction between central and peripheral mechanisms. The classification into primary and secondary types organizes clinical reasoning and allows the understanding of different patterns of risk and severity. Given the prevalence of headache and its functional impact, it becomes essential to understand the factors that contribute to the onset, recurrence, and chronification of attacks, especially in contexts marked by stress, sleep deprivation, cervical overload, and indiscriminate use of medication. The objective of this study is to analyze the main risk factors and strategies for headache control, based on recent scientific evidence. To this end, a narrative bibliographic review with a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach was conducted, based on searches in the Google Scholar and SciELO databases between 2021 and 2026, with selection by titles and abstracts followed by full reading and thematic organization of the content. The persistence of attacks involves interaction between biological predisposition, emotional factors, and biomechanical conditions, potentially leading to sustained sensitization and significant impact on academic and professional performance. Interventions such as postural correction, manual physiotherapy, integrative therapies, and specific pharmacological resources expand control possibilities. Effective management depends on accurate differential diagnosis, individualized identification of triggers, and continuous multidisciplinary action aimed at both prevention and reduction of attack intensity and frequency.