Diseases and Conditions
Thunderclap headaches
Causes
There's no obvious cause for some thunderclap headaches. In other cases, a variety of potentially life-threatening conditions might be responsible, including:
- Bleeding between the brain and membranes covering the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage)
- A rupture of a blood vessel in the brain
- A tear in the lining of an artery that supplies blood to the brain
- Leaking of cerebrospinal fluid — usually due to a tear of the covering around a nerve root in the spine
- Death of tissue or bleeding in the pituitary gland
- A blood clot in the brain
- Severe elevation in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis)
- Infection such as meningitis or encephalitis
- Ischemic stroke