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5th August 2024
Other primary headache disorders
There are a number of other primary headache disorders described in ICHD. These headaches are generally poorly understood and can mimic secondary headache disorders. The table below briefly outlines some of these conditions.
| Primary headache disorder | Clinical features | Differentials to rule out |
|---|---|---|
| Primary cough headache | Precipitated by coughing and other valsalva manoeuvres | Structural intracranial lesions |
| Primary exercise headache | Precipitated by exercise | Structural intracranial abnormalities, ICH, migraine |
| Primary headache associated with sexual activity | Precipitated by sexual activity with increased intensity at orgasm | ICH (particularly SAH), arterial dissection, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, CVST |
| Primary thunderclap headache | Sudden onset, high intensity headache | ICH (particularly SAH), arterial dissection, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, CVST, unruptured aneurysmal malformation |
| Nummular headache | Pain in a small circumscribed area of the scalp | Cranial bone lesions, dermatological scalp lesions |
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