Summary
Headache is pain localised to any part of the head, behind the eyes or ears, or in the upper neck. Headaches represent 2% of all emergency department visits. Ninety percent of men and 95% of women have at least one headache per year. Diagnostic clues should be derived primarily from history. Hallmark physical signs are often absent, and many physical findings are non-specific. The majority of patients presenting with acute headache have a benign diagnosis, but a high index of suspicion should be maintained for life-threatening causes of headache. [1]
Differential diagnosis
Sort by: common/uncommon or category
- Common
- Uncommon
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- Benign intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri)
- Brain tumour
- Hypertensive encephalopathy
- Eclampsia/pre-eclampsia
- Pituitary apoplexy
- Venous sinus thrombosis
- Epidural haematoma
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)
- Subdural haematoma
- Meningitis
- Brain abscess
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Concussive syndrome/trauma
- Acute mountain sickness/hypoxia
- Cluster headaches
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma
- Giant cell arteritis
Last updated: Mar 11, 2013
