The prevalence of headaches and migraines decreases when a person gets older, with those over 60 suffering from them infrequently, according to a new study.

Despite this, one doctor has issued a warning for anyone over the age of 50 who suffer from one particular type of headache to be wary.

Dr Baibing Chen, a US-based neurologist, said that although most headaches are mostly “harmless”, there are some potential red flags to be aware of.

The expert, who goes by Dr Bing on social media, posted a video on TikTok, explaining how these red flag warnings are particularly concerning for those aged over 50.

This is because at that age, brain diseases are more common, with a ‘thunderclap headache’ being a major warning sign.

A thunderclap headache is one that comes on suddenly and is described as being severe which peaks within a minute.

Dr Bing explained in the video: “This is a headache that reaches 10 out of 10 pain within a minute and people usually describe it as the worst headache of their lives.

“The most important thing to rule out here is subarachnoid hemorrhage usually caused by a ruptured aneurysm, but there can be other causes as well.”

The NHS explains a subarachnoid hemorrhage as “an uncommon type of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain” adding how it is potentially a very serious condition that could be fatal.

In addition to a sudden and severe headache, it can also cause neck pain, vomiting and seizures.

Dr Bing advises: “The most important thing to rule out here is subarachnoid hemorrhage usually caused by a ruptured aneurysm, but there can be other causes as well.”

As for triggers which may bring about these types of headaches, Dr Bing elaborated on RCVS “which is intermittent narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain as well as cerebral venous thrombosis which is a clot in the major vein in the brain”.

When this type of severe pain hits, people over 50 should be especially wary if this is accompanied with other symptoms including pain while chewing, scalp tenderness and a change in vision, as according to Dr Bing, this could indicate giant cell arteritis.

“This is an inflammatory condition of the blood vessels and can lead to permanent blindness if it is not treated very quickly with high dose steroids.”

Dr Bing’s final warning for headaches among over 50s involves the eyes.

If experiencing double vision, drooping of one eyelid or dilation in that drooping eyelid, Dr Bing strongly advises to seek medical help immediately as it could indicate an aneurysm.

“I specifically mention this because this is one of few times that we can catch a brain aneurysm before it ruptures.”

He added: “This specific set of symptoms can be caused by an aneurysm compressing on the third cranial nerve and need to be treated urgently.”