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3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
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3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache

Published on: June 2, 2014

Secondary headaches

Mark W Green1

  • 1Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. mark.green@mssm.edu

Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.)
|August 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Headaches with a secondary cause can mimic primary headaches. Consider secondary causes in patients with existing headache disorders experiencing increased frequency and severity of attacks.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Headaches are a common neurological symptom with diverse etiologies.
  • Distinguishing primary headaches from those secondary to serious underlying conditions is critical for appropriate patient management.

Observation:

  • Giant cell arteritis can recur even after treatment.
  • Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is an underdiagnosed cause of headache.

Findings:

  • Patients with primary headache disorders are prone to developing secondary headaches.
  • Secondary headaches may present with symptoms similar to the patient's primary headache disorder.

Implications:

  • A high index of suspicion for secondary causes is warranted in patients with pre-existing headache disorders.
  • Increased headache frequency or severity necessitates evaluation for secondary causes to exclude serious underlying pathology.
Abstract

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