headache is the most common complaint of patients at the primary health care level and is also the most difficult to diagnose at all levels. a client/patient who comes for treatment of a headache considers it easy to identify the cause of his illness because he /she knows most of the people he/she knows have complained of headaches. the difficulty for the diagnosis is most of them identified are primary headache which has no recognized etiologic agent for the illness, list out these primary headache are migraine headache, tension headache, cluster headache, and exertional headache which each of them is identified based on sign and symptoms.
sometimes headache symptoms mark a warning symptom for severe illness and the patient and health professional have to worry about this are called the red flags of headache and they need urgent intervention.
Some of the clinical features of new-onset headache showing serious underlying conditions or red flags are listed below
1. the worst headache ever, in this case, the patient describes it as "I haven't seen this kind of headache in my life"
2. the headache accompanied by systemic signs and symptoms like unexplained fever, weight loss
3. a patient having body paralysis or weakness/ hemiparesis or headache with signs and symptoms of neurologic abnormality is a warning sign
4. relentlessly worsening headaches which are like within days and weeks is also another feature of showing severe headaches or marked change in the pattern of headache
5. headache associated with a history of trauma which may be like trivial injuries and convulsion need focus
6. headache with the onset of age greater than 50
7. headache with a blood pressure measurement of more than > 180/110
8. headache associated with unexplained persistent vomiting and immunocompromised patients like human immunodeficiency virus carriers and a patient with cancer
9. headache with a disturbs sleep or presents immediately upon awakening
if the above signs and symptoms are present they suggest serious underlying diseases and need urgent health care professional evaluation and CT scan imaging
0 Comments