PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Alanazy, Mohammed H.
AU  - Almalak, Hassan
AU  - Alaboudi, Malak
AU  - Abujamea, Abdullah
AU  - Albilali, Abdul
AU  - Muayqil, Taim
TI  - Common diagnoses and factors associated with abnormal neuroimaging in headache patients in the emergency department
AID  - 10.17712/nsj.2023.1.20220042
DP  - 2023 Jan 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 36--41
VI  - 28
IP  - 1
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/28/1/36.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/28/1/36.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2023 Jan 01; 28
AB  - Objectives: To determine causes of headaches in patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) and underwent neuroimaging, and to determine the clinical features associated with abnormal neuroimaging.Methods: Patients were retrospectively selected from a database between June, 2015 and May, 2019. Patients were included if they had neuroimaging requested from the ED mainly for headache. Associations between clinical characteristics and abnormal neuroimaging were assessed.Results: We included 329 patients (33.4% men, 66.6% women). The mean (SD) age was 39.7 (18.4) years. Neurological signs were reported in 43.8% of the patients, head-computed tomography was requested in 79.6%, magnetic resonance imaging in 77.5%, and both in 57.1%. Abnormal neuroimaging was reported in 31.9%. The most common reported diagnoses were secondary headache disorders (48.9%), followed by primary headache disorders (16.4%). The remainder were nonspecific-headaches (35%). Variables associated with abnormal neuroimaging were headache onset ≤1 month (OR 3.37, CI 1.47–7.70, p=0.004), and presence of an abnormal neurological sign (OR 3.60, CI 1.89–6.83, p<0.001).Conclusion: Secondary headache disorders are common in patients who undergo neuroimaging in the ED. Those who have a neurological sign and recent onset of headache are more likely to have abnormal neuroimaging.