Headache With Symptoms of a Serious Illness

Symptoms of serious illness

When a headache, vomiting, fever, or a seizure occurs along with another serious illness, immediate medical care is needed. Symptoms of a serious illness may include:

• A severe headache.
• A stiff neck.
• Mental changes, such as feeling confused or much less alert.
• Extreme fatigue (to the point where it's hard for you to function).
• Shaking chills.

Although uncommon, a headache with symptoms of a serious illness may be a sign of:

• An infection in or around the brain, such as Reference encephalitis Opens New Window, Reference meningitis Opens New Window, or a Reference brain abscess Opens New Window.
• A momentary blockage of a blood vessel (Reference transient ischemic attack, or TIA Opens New Window) in the brain.
• Rupture of a blood vessel in the brain.

Call your doctor for an evaluation if you have a headache and other symptoms of a serious illness.

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