La cefalea en la consulta de neurología general

INTRODUCTION: Headache is one of the most frequent causes of consultation in a neurology clinic. We present a descriptive, epidemiological study about such a pathology in a general neurology clinic. We evaluated as the most relevant points the frequency of different types of headaches, the reasons for remission and diagnosis concordance with the remitting doctor, normally the General Practitioner. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The collection of data was carried out by means of structured interviews over a three month period. Apart from the epidemiological data of the subjects, the characteristics of the headache, the medication and its possible overuse, were also collected. A systematic neurological examination of all patients was carried out. RESULTS: 286 patients were included. The frequency of different diagnosis (the most frequent chronic daily headache, 39.2%), the number of patients who abused of analgesics (31.8%) and the diagnosis concordance with the referring doctor (20%) was analyzed among other variables. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the high number of patients suffering from daily chronic headache and the fundamental role that the abuse of analgesics plays in this diagnostic entity. The diagnosis concordance is too low. A correct initial diagnosis as a result of a better neurological training in primary care would prevent in greater numbers the abuse of analgesics and would offer a better quality of care.