Headache during pregnancy

Neurologic Consultations and Headache during Pregnancy and in Puerperium: A Retrospective Chart Review

Headache is a common symptom during pregnancy and in puerperium that requires careful consideration, as it may be caused by a life-threatening condition. Headaches in pregnant women and women in puerperium are classified as primary or secondary; acute, severe and newly diagnosed headaches should prompt further investigation. We aimed to further characterise the demographic features, symptoms, examination findings, and neuroimaging results of cases of headache during pregnancy and in puerperium. All pregnant women or women in postpartum conditions who attended neurological consultations at the emergency department of the clinic for Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine of Saarland University/Germany between 2001/2015 and 2012/2019 were enrolled in this retrospective chart review. Data collected from the charts included demographic/pregnancy characteristics, clinical features and imaging findings. Descriptive statistics as well as binary logistic regression were performed. More than 50% of 97 patients had abnormal findings in their neurological examination. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were pathological for almost 20% of patients—indicating conditions such as cerebral venous thrombosis, reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy, brain tumour and intracranial bleeding. The odds of abnormal neuroimaging results were 2.2-times greater among women with abnormal neurological examination findings than among those with normal examination results. In cases of headache during pregnancy and in puerperium, neuroimaging should be indicated early on. Further research is needed to determine which conditions indicate a need for immediate neuroimaging.

Headache and distress during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of headache, review variables believed to be associated, and assess distress levels in pregnant women.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study conducted on pregnant women who presented to a Training and Research Hospital in Sakarya, Turkey from June 1, 2020 to December 1, 2020. The study group consisted of 600 pregnant women who agreed to take part in the study. Chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance level was accepted as P value of 0.05 or less.

RESULTS

The ages of pregnant women ranged from 19 to 44 years with a mean age of 29.01 ± 5.27 years. Prevalence of headache during pregnancy was found to be 55.7% (n = 334). The number of pregnant women at of distress was found to be 144 (24.0%). There was no difference between women with and without headache and between severity of headache and prevalence of distress (P > 0.05 for each).

CONCLUSION

Headache is an important health issue in pregnant women. There was no relationship between the presence and severity of headache and distress level.

Don't Forget Rare Causes of Postpartum Headache! Cases Report and Literature Review

Headache is a common finding in the postpartum period, caused by a spectrum of different conditions. Most headaches in the postpartum period are self-limiting and benign in etiology, but there are some potentially serious causes to be considered. We disclose two cases of postpartum headache, initially considered as post-dural puncture headache (PDPH), that evolved into a harmful condition and showed that an expanded differential diagnosis for headache in the postpartum is mandatory, requiring a high level of attention from health professionals. In fact, a careful examination of the medical history, physical examination, and the recognition for the need for early neuroradiological imaging should increase diagnostic accuracy.

Brain Tumor in Differential Diagnosis of Seizures in Puerperium: Case Report

Convulsive crisis is a transient disturbance of cerebral function, and the etiology of which may be manifold. Its clarification is essential for establishing adequate therapy and seizure control. In the pregnancy-puerperal cycle, eclampsia is the most common cause of it, but brain tumor, epilepsy and other disorders are part of the differential diagnosis. We report a case of seizure triggered by tumor in a primigest, 22 years old, at 38 weeks’ gestation with premature rupture of membranes. Cesarean section was performed due to non-reassuring fetal condition. On the second day of puerperium, she presented recurrent episodes of generalized tonic-clonic seizures and elevated blood pressure. She received magnesium sulfate for 24 hours and persisted with severe headache. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an expansive lesion in the left frontoparietal region. The patient underwent intracranial microsurgery on the eighth day after cesarean section, with complete resection of the lesion and anatomopathological diagnosis of schwannoma. She went through good postoperative evolution, without neurological deficits, and stayed on phenobarbital, with no seizures until 6 months of follow-up. From the case we conclude that although the first diagnosis in pregnant or puerperal women with seizures should be eclampsia, there are other causes, such as brain tumor and Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES). Careful evaluation is required, especially in refractory cases and not responding to usual treatment.

Diagnosis of Acute Neurologic Emergencies in Pregnant and Postpartum Women

Acute neurologic symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women may be caused by exacerbation of a preexisting neurologic condition, the initial presentation of a non-pregnancy-related problem, or a new neurologic problem. Pregnant and postpartum patients with headache and neurologic symptoms are often diagnosed with preeclampsia or eclampsia; however, other etiologies must also be considered. A team approach with close communication between emergency physicians, neurologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and radiologists is the key to obtaining best outcomes. This article reviews the clinical features and differential diagnosis of acute serious neurologic conditions in pregnancy and the puerperium, focusing on diagnosis.

Acute headache diagnosis in pregnant women: a hospital-based study

OBJECTIVE

To characterize demographic and clinical features in pregnant women presenting with acute headache, and to identify clinical features associated with secondary headache.

METHODS

We conducted a 5-year, single-center, retrospective study of consecutive pregnant women presenting to acute care with headache receiving neurologic consultation.

RESULTS

The 140 women had a mean age of 29 ± 6.4 years and often presented in the third trimester (56.4%). Diagnoses were divided into primary (65.0%) and secondary (35.0%) disorders. The most common primary headache disorder was migraine (91.2%) and secondary headache disorders were hypertensive disorders (51.0%). The groups were similar in demographics, gestational ages, and most headache features. In univariate analysis, secondary headaches were associated with a lack of headache history (36.7% vs 13.2%, p = 0.0012), seizures (12.2% vs 0.0%, p = 0.0015), elevated blood pressure (55.1% vs 8.8%, p < 0.0001), fever (8.2% vs 0.0%, p = 0.014), and an abnormal neurologic examination (34.7% vs 16.5%, p = 0.014). In multivariate logistic regression, elevated blood pressure (odds ratio [OR] 17.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2-56.0) and a lack of headache history (OR 4.9, 95% CI 1.7-14.5) had an increased association with secondary headache, while psychiatric comorbidity (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.021-0.78) and phonophobia (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.09-0.91) had a reduced association with secondary headache.

CONCLUSIONS

Among pregnant women receiving inpatient neurologic consultation, more than one-third have secondary headache. Diagnostic vigilance should be heightened in the absence of a headache history and if seizures, hypertension, or fever are present. Attack features may not adequately distinguish primary vs secondary disorders, and low thresholds for neuroimaging and monitoring for preeclampsia are justified.

Emergent headaches during pregnancy: correlation between neurologic examination and neuroimaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Emergent evaluation of the pregnant headache patient requires rational selection of acute neuroimaging studies, yet guidelines do not exist. We investigated the demographic and clinical features that are predictive of intracranial pathologic lesions on neuroimaging studies in pregnant women with emergent headaches.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of demographic factors, clinical features, and radiologic findings in a consecutive case series of 63 pregnant women emergently evaluated with a chief complaint of headache, including those with previous headache histories. Clinical data were abstracted from emergency department records, hospital course, and discharge summaries. Multivariate logistic regression analysis examined predictors of intracranial pathologic lesions on emergent neuroimaging studies.

RESULTS

Multiparous African American women constituted 63% of the case subjects. Headaches were frequently accompanied by photophobia (59%), nausea (52%), vomiting (37%), and occasionally with fever (11%), meningismus (9%), or seizures (7%). A total of 43% of case subjects had abnormal neurologic examination findings. Emergent neuroimaging, including noncontrast head CT and MR imaging, revealed an underlying headache etiology in 27%, including cerebral venous thrombosis, reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy, pseudotumor, and intracranial hemorrhage. The odds of having intracranial pathologic lesions on neuroimaging were 2.7 times higher in patients with abnormal results on neurologic examination (P=.085).

CONCLUSIONS

Emergent neuroimaging studies may reveal an underlying headache etiology in 27% of pregnant women. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to determine what clinical factors are predictive of a pathologic condition on neuroimaging studies.

Emergency department presentation of bilateral carotid artery dissections in a postpartum patient

Spontaneous unilateral postpartum carotid arterial dissection is a rarely reported event. This is the first reported case of bilateral carotid artery dissection. A 35-year-old gravida 4, para 3 woman presented to our emergency department with complaint of headache for 3 days. Medical history included delivery of a full-term infant by cesarean section 9 days before presentation because of arrest of descent after 3 hours of pushing. Symptoms were later attributed to a parietal lobe cerebral vascular accident and bilateral internal carotid artery dissection. Physicians should consider the possibility of arterial dissection in any postpartum patient with unremitting headache when evaluation of typical causes fails to lead to a diagnosis. Appropriate diagnostic evaluation and treatment should be actively pursued in this population.

Treatment of migraine headaches with sumatriptan in pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To review the literature for treatment of migraine headaches with sumatriptan during pregnancy.

DATA SOURCES

Studies and reports were located in International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-September 2003) and MEDLINE (1966-week 3 September 2003).

DATA SYNTHESIS

Research has been performed to evaluate the risk of teratogenesis after sumatriptan exposure in pregnant patients. Data have been collected in areas including placental transmission of sumatriptan, prospective pregnancy registries, open-labeled and controlled prospective studies, and a retrospective prescription-linked study. As of August 6, 2004, no randomized controlled trials have been conducted with exposure to sumatriptan during pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Teratogenesis occurs in approximately 150 000 births per year which represents an incidence of 3-5%. Available literature to date indicates that exposure to sumatriptan during pregnancy has no additional risk of birth defects compared with the incidence in the general population.

Neurological disorders in pregnancy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Neurological disorders are common in women of childbearing age and can lead to maternal death, as evident from previous reports of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in England and Wales. In the last report (1997-1999) alone, there were 34 deaths indirectly caused by neurological disorders.

RECENT FINDINGS

With the new developments in drugs, investigations and research, clinicians are now more able than ever before to diagnose and treat some disorders. A recent example is the French Study Group on Stroke in Pregnancy.

SUMMARY

This paper reviews the current concepts and outlines appropriate management of conditions such as epilepsy, headache, benign intracranial hypertension, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, Bell's palsy and cerebrovascular disorders.