Differentiating causes of headache

Headache may be the presenting symptom of many diseases in the elderly. Some headaches are caused by significant intracranial disease, and the patient's age and general cardiologic and respiratory status may not allow investigation or neurosurgical management. Conditions that demand urgent neurosurgical attention are subarachnoid hemorrhage, pituitary apoplexy, subdural hematoma, and meningioma. Cranial arteritis, too, should be remembered as a possible medical cause of headache in the elderly.