Headaches | Notion

Red flags

Headache is one of the most common presenting complaints seen in clinical practice. The vast majority of these will be caused by common, benign conditions. There are however certain features in a history which should prompt further action. In the 2012 guidelines NICE suggest the following:

compromised immunity, caused, for example, by HIV or immunosuppressive drugs
age under 20 years and a history of malignancy
a history of malignancy known to metastasis to the brain
vomiting without other obvious cause
worsening headache with fever
sudden-onset headache reaching maximum intensity within 5 minutes - 'thunderclap'
new-onset neurological deficit
new-onset cognitive dysfunction
change in personality