Abstract
There is a very high prevalence of headache in both outpatient and inpatient settings,
in the United States and worldwide, due to an abundance of possible causes. Having
a practical and systematic approach to evaluating and treating headache is, therefore,
key to making the correct diagnosis, or possibly overlapping diagnoses. Taking a thorough
and methodical headache history is the mainstay for diagnosis of both primary and
secondary headache disorders. Evaluation and workup should include a complete neurological
examination, consideration of neuroimaging in specific limited situations, and serum
or spinal fluid analysis if indicated. Adopting a diagnostic approach to headache
ensures that cannot-miss, or potentially fatal, headache syndromes are not overlooked,
while resource-intensive tests are performed only on an as-needed basis.
Keywords
history taking - approach - impact of headache - burden of headache - migraine
