Cough headache and thoracic inlet valvular competence in uremia

Cough headache is a transient headache upon coughing, bending, stooping, or lifting in the absence of intracranial lesions. Reports show that incompetent jugular venous valve and cerebrospinal fluid hypervolemia are contributing factors. Headache is a common complaint of uremia patients. We conducted a clinical-radiological correlation study on 15 uremia patients with headache and central venous thrombosis. Thirteen patients were diagnosed to have benign cough headache (BCH); the others were diagnosed with chronic tension type headache. Venogram disclosed either internal jugular or vertebral venous regurgitation in the BCH group. Acquired thoracic inlet valvular incompetence might contribute to BCH.