What Are Emergency Headaches ?

New headaches in elderly patients

In elderly patients, especially in cases of severe pain that occurs unilaterally and in the temple, an arterial inflammation disease called TEMPORAL ARTHERITIS should be considered. Since it can lead to blindness, it requires rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Headache due to increased intracranial pressure

In cases where the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid in and around the brain increases, a long-term, chronic headache that increases when lying down may be seen. The most important symptom is that the headache may be accompanied by vision loss. Due to the compression of the optic nerves due to increased intracranial pressure, an important finding is optic nerve edema, referred to as papilledema, in the fundus examination. Definitive diagnosis is pressure measurement from the waist with a thin needle. It is a disease that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis due to the risk of permanent blindness.

Intracranial low pressure headache

In cases where the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid in and around the brain decreases, a headache that occurs/intensifies especially when sitting or standing up, and decreases immediately when lying down, may be seen. The severity may increase in situations such as straining, laughing, coughing, bending forward, exertion. It can usually be seen after epidural anesthesia, but similar pains can also be seen in cases of surgical procedures targeting the spinal cord or excessive neck strain, as leakage in the cerebrospinal fluid may be seen. Bed rest and sometimes a blood patch known as an epidural patch may be required.