Chronic post-traumatic headaches after mild head injuries

Cefaléia pós-traumática crônica em traumatismos crânio-encefálicos leves

THESES

Chronic post-traumatic headaches after mild head injuries (abstract)^*. Thesis. Niterói, 1995

Cefaléia pós-traumática crônica em traumatismos crânio-encefálicos leves (Resumo)

Jano Alves de Souza^**

The clinical features of chronic post-traumatic headaches (cPTH) after mild head injuries (MHI) were analyzed among twenty seven patients (13 males and 14 females) in the 16-64 ages range and average of 30.2 years old. All patients fulfilled the following criteria for MHI: 1) loss of consciousness during 30 minutes or less; 2) Glasgow Coma Scale score between 13 and 15; 3) no alterations in the neurologic examination; 4) no depressed skull fractures; 5) no intracranial lesions, atested by computed tomography scan, in all patients who presented loss of consciousness. The diagnostic criteria for cPTH were the same proposed by the International Headache Society (IHS - 1988). Headache began on the same day the trauma in 51.8% of patients, demonstrating that early onset is an important feature. The average duration of the symptom until the first interview was 33.4 months. The clinical characteristics allowed the diagnosis of migraine among 19 patients (70.3%), tension type headache among 14 (51.8%) and cervicogenic headache among three (11.1%). It was found concomitance of migraine and tensional type headache among 29.6%. One patient presented migraine and cervicogenic headache (3.7%). Patients, frequently, presented other symptoms of the post-traumatic syndrome (PTS). The commonest ones were dizziness, insomnia, anxiety, disturbances of the memory, fatigue, reduction of the capacity of concentration and noise sensitivity. Evidences of neurosis or simulation were not observed. On the contrary, the uniformity of the clinical features and their similarity with those described by other authors favors the organic explanation for the PTS and cPTH.

Key words: post-traumatic headache, mild head injury (sequelae).

*

Tese de Mestrado, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal Fluminense (Área: Neurologia). Orientador: Pedro Ferreira Moreira Filho.

**

Address: Rua Marquês do Paraná 303, 24030-210 Niterói RJ, Brasil.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  10 Nov 2010
• Date of issue
  Sept 1996