Summary
Differentials
Common
- Cefaleia tensional
- Enxaqueca
- Sinusite aguda
- Otite média
- Cefaleia menstrual
- Supressão de medicamentos
- Cefaleia por uso excessivo de medicamentos
- Sensibilidade da musculatura paraespinhal
- Cáries dentárias/impactação do dente do siso
- Disfunções temporomandibulares
- Hidrocefalia aguda
Uncommon
- hipertensão intracraniana idiopática (pseudotumor cerebral)
- Tumor cerebral
- Encefalopatia hipertensiva
- Eclâmpsia/pré-eclâmpsia
- Apoplexia hipofisária
- Trombose do seio venoso
- Hematoma epidural
- Hemorragia subaracnoide (HSA)
- Hematoma subdural
- Meningite
- Abscesso cerebral
- Intoxicação por monóxido de carbono
- Síndrome pós-concussão/trauma
- Doença da altitude aguda/hipóxia
- Cefaleias em salvas
- Hemicrania paroxística
- Neuralgia do trigêmeo
- Glaucoma agudo de ângulo fechado
- Arterite de células gigantes
- Infecção pelo vírus da Zika
- Chikungunya
- Febre da dengue
- Acidente vascular cerebral (AVC)
Contributors
Authors
Meika T. Neblett, MD, MS
Associate Director
Department of Emergency Medicine
Saint Luke's Cornwall Hospital
Newburgh
NY
Disclosures
MTN declares that she has no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Shuhan Zhu, MD
Member of the Faculty
Brigham Women's Hospital
Boston
MA
Disclosures
SZ declares that she has no competing interests.
Paul Hamilton, MD
Director
Department of Emergency Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York
NY
Disclosures
PH declares that he has no competing interests.
Sheldon Jacobson, MD, FACP, FACEP
Chairman
Department of Emergency Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York
NY
Disclosures
SJ declares that he has no competing interests.
Eirik Helseth, MD, PhD
Senior Neurosurgeon
Oslo University Hospital
Professor
University of Oslo
Oslo
Norway
Disclosures
EH declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewer acknowledgements
BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.
Disclosures
Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.
References
Key articles
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management. Jun 2025 [internet publication].Full text
American College of Radiology. ACR appropriateness criteria®: headache. 2022 [internet publication].Full text Abstract
Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS). The international classification of headache disorders, 3rd edition. Cephalalgia. 2018 Jan;38(1):1-211.Full text
Reference articles
A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
Guidelines
- Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management
- ACR appropriateness criteria: headache
More GuidelinesPatient information
Sinusite (aguda)
Meningite e septicemia
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Punção lombar diagnóstica em adultos: demonstração animada
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