TABLE 18-1. CLASSIFICATION OF HEADACHES

  1. Potentially dangerous headaches
    1. Meningeal irritation
      1. Subarchnoid hemorrhage
      2. Meningitis and meningoencephalitis
    2. Intracranial mass lesions
      1. Neoplasms
      2. Intracerebral hemorrhage
      3. Subdural or epidural hemorrhage
      4. Abscess
      5. Acute hydrocephalus
      6. Other
    3. Vascular headaches
      1. Temporal arteritis
      2. Hypertensive encephalopathy (e.g., malignant hypertension, pheochromocytoma)
      3. Arteriovenous malformations and expanding aneurysms
      4. Lupus cerebritis
      5. Venous sinus thrombosis
    4. Cervical
      1. Fracture or dislocation
      2. Occipital neuralgia
      3. Vertebral artery dissection
      4. Chiari malformation
    5. Metabolic
      1. Hypoglycemia
      2. Hypercapnea (lung disease, sleep apnea)
      3. Carbon monoxide
      4. Anoxia
      5. Anemia
      6. Vitamin A toxicity
    6. Glaucoma
  2. Extracranial lesions
    1. Sinuses (infection, tumor)
    2. Cervical spine disease
    3. Dental problems
    4. Temporomandibular joint
    5. Ear infections, etc.
    6. Eye (glaucoma, uveitis)
    7. Extracranial arteries
    8. Nerve lesions
    9. Other
  3. Other secondary headaches
    1. Altitude
    2. Fever
    3. Ice cream headache
    4. Alcohol and hangover
    5. Dynamite headache (nitrate exposure)
    6. Hot dog headache
    7. Chinese restaurant syndrome (glutamate)
    8. Aspartame
    9. Cough headache
    10. Coital headache
    11. Other
  4. Specific syndromes
    1. Migraine
    2. Cluster headaches
    3. Neuralgias
      • Trigeminal (tic douloureux)
      • Glossopharyngeal
    4. "Tension-type" headache
    5. Indomethicin responsive headaches
      1. Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania
      2. Hemicrania continua
      3. SUNCT - short-lasting, unilateral, neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing
    6. Others
  5. Nonspecific headaches
    1. Post-traumatic/postconcussion
    2. "Analgesic rebound" headache
    3. Psychiatric
    4. Other
Jump to: