title: Beware the patient with a headache in the accident and emergency department.
abstract: We have reviewed the 130 patients presenting to an accident and emergency (A & E) department with a headache, followed up for 2 years. These are infrequent attenders but we have found that there is a high incidence of serious neurological pathology (16%) in this group of patients. We suggest that patients presenting to the A & E department with headache should be thoroughly examined and investigated and in the absence of a definite benign diagnosis should at least be admitted for a period of observation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Accident and Emergency Medicine, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, England.
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Fodden
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Peatfield
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Milsom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies