Headaches afflict 70% of the population with 12% (30 million adult Americans) suffering from migraines. Including co-morbidities, up to 30% of patients seen in primary care settings suffer from migraines. Medical care provided to these headache sufferers is often suboptimal.
Part of the Oxford American Pain Library, this concise handbook aims to provide primary care doctors and other health care professionals with practical information about the diagnosis and management of headaches in their patients. The book covers the classification of headaches and provides shortcuts to making an accurate diagnosis, along with recommendations for the proper utilization of diagnostic procedures. The author discusses all common headache conditions: migraine; chronic migraine; status migraine; cluster and related headaches; tension headaches; sinus headaches; cervicogenic headaches; secondary headaches, and neuralgias.
The book provides a comprehensive review of pharmacological treatments such as antyhypertensive agents, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, 5HT1 agonists (triptans), as well as a discussion of the scientific basis of non-drug treatments. Representative cases, such as hormonal headaches, "numb" headaches, and sex-induced headaches, are discussed to help integrate factual knowledge with practical approaches.