Usually a headache is just a headache, and heartburn is just a sign that you rang the Taco Bell a few times too many. Except when they're not. These are warning signs you should never ignore:

• Severe head pain.

Odds are, any jackhammer pain in your brain is just a migraine. But if it's not accompanied by other migraine symptoms (such as a visual aura), sudden and severe pain — we're talking the absolute worst headache of your life — can signal a brain aneurysm.

These arterial bulges occur in up to 5 percent of people, but most of the time they don't cause any trouble — you won't even know you have one unless the weak spot leaks or tears. If that happens, escaping blood can flood the surrounding tissue (causing a violent headache) and cut off the oxygen supply there. Smoking and having a family history of aneurysms increase your odds.



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