Which statement is part of the diagnostic criteria for tension-type headaches?

Prepare for the Pharmacology IV – Headache Therapeutics Test. Review the therapeutic approaches, tackle multiple-choice questions with explanations, and boost your test-taking confidence. Ace your exam with precision!

Tension-type headache is diagnosed by features that separate it from migraine: the pain is typically bilateral, pressing or tightening in quality, mild to moderate in intensity, not worsened by regular physical activity, and lasts from 30 minutes to several days. A key part of the criteria is the absence of nausea or vomiting, with either photophobia or phonophobia present—but not both. So the statement describing no nausea or vomiting and photophobia or phonophobia (not both) aligns with how tension-type headaches are defined. The other options reflect features more typical of migraine or are inconsistent with tension-type criteria—for example, aura before headache is associated with migraine with aura, pulsating pain is characteristic of migraine, and nausea/vomiting are common in migraine rather than tension-type.