Is headache during pregnancy a higher risk for serious secondary headache cause? A HEAD study report. (26th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kelly, Anne‐Maree; Chu, Kevin H; Kuan, Win Sen; Keijzers, Gerben; Kinnear, Frances B; Cardozo‐Ocampo, Alejandro
• Is Part Of: Emergency medicine Australasia. Volume 34:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 629
• Page End: 631
• Publication Date: 2022-04-26
• Subjects: emergency department -- headache -- pregnancy; Emergency medicine -- Periodicals; Emergency medicine -- Australasia -- Periodicals; 616.025
• DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.14005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-6731

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: Pregnancy is defined as a 'red flag' in headache assessment. We aimed to describe the prevalence and causes of serious secondary headache in pregnant ED patients. Methods: Unplanned secondary analysis of HEAD Study/HEAD Colombia data. Results: 3.2% (117/3643) of ED headache patients aged 18–50 years were pregnant, of whom six (5.1%) had a serious secondary cause identified. The proportion of patients with serious headache causes was not significantly different between pregnant female, non‐pregnant female and male patient subgroups ( P = 0.89). Conclusion: Inclusion of pregnancy as a 'red flag' in ED headache assessment is not supported by these data.