Before diagnosing a headache primary (migraine, cluster) you should consider whether their headache is secondary–including outside the brain, inside the brain, systemically, or head and neck
C: CARDIO
- Outflow dissection: cervical artery dissection (carotid or vertebral)
D: NEURO
- Neuron: seizure
- Encephalitis/meningitis
- Unregulated pressure: intracranial hypertension/hypotension
- RBC bleed/clot: EDH, SDH, SAH, DSVT
- Onco: tumour
E: ENDO
- Electrolyte: hypontremia, hypoglycemia
- hOrmones: pheo
F: PELVIC
- Pregnant: pre-eclampsia
I: INTOX
- Ingest: etoh withdrawl
- Treatment: nitrate
- X poison: carbon monoxide
J: joints, skin, bone
- emergent: temoral arteritis, glaucoma, mastoiditis
- less urgent: sinusitis, dental, TMJ, cervicogenic