TY - JOUR
T1 - Diagnosis and Management of Headache in Older Adults
AU - Starling, Amaal J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
PY - 2018/2
Y1 - 2018/2
N2 - Headache is a common, disabling neurologic problem in all age groups, including older adults. In older adults, headache is most likely a primary disorder, such as tension-type headache or migraine; however, there is a higher risk of secondary causes, such as giant cell arteritis or intracranial lesions, than in younger adults. Thus, based on the headache history, clinical examination, and presence of headache red flags, a focused diagnostic evaluation is recommended, ranging from blood tests to neuroimaging, depending on the headache characteristics. Regardless of the primary or secondary headache disorder diagnosis, treatment options may be limited in older patients and may need to be tailored to the presence of comorbid medical conditions. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the management of headache in older adults, from diagnosis to treatment.
AB - Headache is a common, disabling neurologic problem in all age groups, including older adults. In older adults, headache is most likely a primary disorder, such as tension-type headache or migraine; however, there is a higher risk of secondary causes, such as giant cell arteritis or intracranial lesions, than in younger adults. Thus, based on the headache history, clinical examination, and presence of headache red flags, a focused diagnostic evaluation is recommended, ranging from blood tests to neuroimaging, depending on the headache characteristics. Regardless of the primary or secondary headache disorder diagnosis, treatment options may be limited in older patients and may need to be tailored to the presence of comorbid medical conditions. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the management of headache in older adults, from diagnosis to treatment.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.12.002
DO - 10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.12.002
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29406202
AN - SCOPUS:85044642968
SN - 0025-6196
VL - 93
SP - 252
EP - 262
JO - Mayo Clinic proceedings
JF - Mayo Clinic proceedings
IS - 2
ER -