Headaches. The general practitioner's view

A strategy based on the temporal patterns of disorder has been presented for the management of headache. Data derived from the clinical history and a knowledge of the common causes of headache enables the general practitioner to diagnose the problem in the majority of patients. Difficulty might occur when tension headache and migraine occur in the same patient. There is a variety of treatment options which offers a challenge for the family doctor in dealing with the problem. Symptoms are managed readily but the family doctor should recognise also the patient's life difficulties and their influence on the disorder. Such problems ensure the general practitioner remains the true family physician and not a mere dispenser of tablets.