Assessment of Patients Presenting with Headache

摘要

Headache is one of the most common presentations in primary care and accounts for 4.4% of all consultations. Most headaches are due to primary headache disorders such as migraine and tension-type headache. However, headaches can be associated with serious underlying conditions such as intracranial tumours, and it is often concerns about this that will trigger a patient to consult their GP. Since headache is predominantly managed in primary care (with only 2–3% referred to specialists), GPs must have a clear and focused strategy for diagnosis and management. This article aims to provide an overview of the assessment of patients presenting with headache to enable GPs confidently to manage this common symptom.