Headache as main reason for consultation to a hospital Emergency Department in Spain: a prospective study.
Neurologia 2021;
38:S0213-4853(21)00089-X. [PMID:
34083062 DOI:
10.1016/j.nrl.2021.03.015]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Headache is common in the general population and a frequent reason for medical consultation.
OBJECTIVES
To describe the characteristics of patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) for headache.
METHODS
A descriptive study with prospective collection of 100 consecutive patients over 15 years old who attended our ED due to headache as the main complaint.
RESULTS
Headache accounted for 1,4% of ED visits. The most common age range is between 31 and 45 years and the majority of the patients are females (61%). We diagnosed 67 primary and 33 secondary headaches. The most frequent diagnosis was migraine, with 36% of cases. One out of 3 patients had a history of headache and 4 out of 5 consulted by their own decision. Only a small percentage of patients were admitted as inpatients (12%), and 3 out of 5 were referred to Primary Care. Complementary tests were performed on 84% of the patients. One CT scan was performed for every 3 patients. A total of 80% patients was correctly diagnosed by the ED physicians.
CONCLUSIONS
Headache is a frequent complaint in the ED, where primary headaches are the most common with migraine being the most frequent reason for consultation. In our setting, there is a good screening and diagnosis of headaches, as well as an adequate use of the available resources in the ED for their diagnosis and management.
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