19th June 2023

A 30-year-old male presented with a 2-day history of a headache. It is mostly unilateral on the left side

A 30-year-old male presented with a 2-day history of a headache. It is mostly unilateral on the left side and is associated with nausea and photophobia. He describes it as a throbbing sensation and reports that pain is relieved to some extent following vomiting. He has had similar episodes of pain in the past before, which usually lasted up to 2 days and were relieved with ibuprofen. There is no significant past medical history. There is no history of travel, fever, neck stiffness, or rashes. He has a stressful job and has had disturbed sleep the past few days in preparation for a big meeting for a company he is working for. On examination, there is no focal neurology.

Which one of the following is the most likely aetiology of his headache?