[Headache in the emergency department].
Headache is among the most frequent neurological symptoms in the Emergency department. Although most of the patients suffer from primary headaches (migraine), an acute headache might be the only symptom of a serious disease, such as subarachnoid haemorrhage. The physician's task is to make the diagnosis, carry out an appropriate selection of the patients who require further diagnostic evaluation and relieve the pain. An accurate history will identify most of the patients with secondary headaches. Clinicians should suspect secondary causes in sudden onset headache, headache in patients aged over 50 years, and also in those patients with abnormalities on neurological examination.
Departamento de Neurología, Clínica Universitaria, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
J B
JB
Toledo
M
M
Riverol
E
E
Martínez-Vila
P
P
Irimía
D000465:Algorithms; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004638:Emergency Treatment; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans