Headache in the Emergency Room

Abstract

Headache is seen in the emergency room (ER) on a daily basis and is a vague symptom, which can be a part of many different types of conditions and diseases. Although most people who come to the ER will have a benign headache, it is important to make sure that dangerous causes of headache are ruled out. There are a number of features that may alert someone to a secondary cause of headache. This article highlights two specific secondary headache syndromes, including carotid dissection and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. It also broadly points out other possible causes of secondary headache. The last section focuses on a common primary headache that presents to the ER, migraine and its treatment.