TABLE 21-1. CLASSIFICATION OF HEADACHES

  1. 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
      3. Arteriovenous malformations and expanding aneurysms
    4. Cervical fracture or dislocation
    5. Metabolic
      1. Hypoglycemia
      2. Hypercapnea
      3. Anoxia
      4. Anemia
    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. Specific syndromes
    1. Migraine
    2. Cluster headaches
    3. Neuralgias
      • Trigeminal (tic douloureux)
      • Glossopharyngeal
    4. Others
  4. Nonspecific headaches
    1. "Tension-type" headache
    2. Post-traumatic
    3. Metabolic
    4. Psychiatric
    5. Other