title: Non-traumatic headache in the emergency department.
abstract: Four hundred eighty-five patients between the ages of 15 and 89 made 631 visits to a medical center emergency department with a chief complaint of headache or head pain during a 12-month period from May 1977 to April 1978, accounting for 1.6% of all patient visits. One hundred ninety-three (40%) had subsequent follow-up data available for review. Muscle contraction-tension headache and migraine headache were the most common diagnoses, accounting for 54.5% of all patients. The female/male distribution was 3:2 for the entire group. Five percent of the overall group had serious neurological conditions. Analysis of the emergency department evaluations, results of follow-up, and reviews of other recent series are reported. Based on current literature, recommendations for the detailed laboratory evaluation of the suspicious headache are described.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010414:Pennsylvania; D014653:Vascular Headaches / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy