[Headache attributed to ischaemic stroke. An update on its semiology and diagnosis]

Headache is a common symptom in acute ischemic stroke which is often overlooked and undertreated because of focus in neurologic function, communication difficulties in stroke patients and the current diagnostic criteria of this type of headache. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Acute and Persistent Headache Attributed to Ischemic Stroke and to analyze the fulfillment of the criteria of the International Classification of Headaches (ICHD-IID).

Prospective observational analytical cohort study. The study population consisted of patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Stroke Unit of a tertiary care hospital over a period of 12 months.

Two hundred and forty-four patients with acute ischemic stroke (59.8% males, mean age 71+12.8 years) were included. Headache at onset or at the first 72 hours was present in 23.2% and 12.5% of them presented persistent headache attributed to ischemic stroke. Only 62.5% of the headaches at stroke onset fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of ICHD-III.

Headache after ischemic stroke is a common symptom. It was associated with female sex, posterior circulation stroke and low scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The current diagnostic criteria should be reviewed.