Headache in daily practice: What a physician needs to know

Abstract

Headache is a common presenting complaint encountered in the outpatient as well as inpatient settings. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of the commonly encountered primary headaches, timely evaluation for secondary causes, and patient education are the management s cornerstones. Our review aims to summarize the key diagnostic features and treatment of primary headaches and discuss the red flags that aid in the diagnosis of secondary headaches. For this, we searched the PubMed database using the keywords “Primary headache,” “Primary headache AND Diagnosis,” “Primary headache AND Treatment,” “Red flags AND Headache,” “Secondary Headaches.” Those articles written in English and were available in full text were reviewed. In this review, in addition to the clinical and management aspects, we have also elucidated the diagnosis and management of headache in special situations such as pregnancy and menstruation, headache in the emergency room, status migrainosus, and newer developments in the therapeutic armamentarium of headache. We have also tried to simplify the approach to headaches seen in routine outpatient clinics and emergency settings and develop a structured approach for diagnosis and management.