Age, mean (SD) (range) | 53 (21) (16–98) |
Women | 912 | 58.4% |
Onset during exertion | 312 | 20.0% |
Onset during rest | 1131 | 72.5% |
Headache awoke patient from sleep | 55 | 3.5% |
Duration from onset |
∼60 min | 297 | 19.0% |
∼24 hours | 863 | 55.3% |
∼7 days | 342 | 21.9% |
1 week ∼ | 58 | 3.7% |
Worst headache of life | 274 | 17.6% |
Thunderclap headache | 37 | 2.4% |
Alteration of consciousness level | 151 | 9.7% |
Neck pain or stiffness | 1095 | 70.1% |
Vomiting | 442 | 28.3% |
Vertigo/dizziness | 206 | 13.2% |
History of hypertension | 374 | 24.0% |
History of diabetes mellitus | 118 | 7.6% |
Heart rate, mean (SD) beats/min | 79 | (17) |
Blood pressure, mean (SD) mm Hg |
Systolic | 144 | (33) |
Diastolic | 83 | (19) |
Body temperature, mean (SD) °C | 36.6 | (0.8) |
Diagnostic procedures |
CT | 1474 | 94.4% |
MRI | 66 | 4.2% |
Lumbar puncture | 40 | 2.6% |
No CT, lumbar puncture or MRI | 87 | 5.6% |
Discharged from emergency department | 1010 | 64.7% |
Final diagnosis |
Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) | 369 | 23.6% |
Subarachnoid haemorrhage | 277 | 17.7% |
Other CVD | 92 | 5.9% |
Other neurological disease | 715 | 45.8% |
Migraine headache | 133 | 8.5% |
Tension headache | 61 | 3.9% |
Cluster headache | 12 | 0.8% |
Unclassified benign headache | 438 | 28.1% |
Meningitis | 17 | 1.1% |
Postseizure headache | 15 | 1.0% |
Neuralgia | 10 | 0.6% |
Brain tumour | 7 | 0.4% |
Viral illness | 60 | 3.8% |
Psychiatric disease | 47 | 3.0% |
Hypertensive crisis | 38 | 2.4% |
Peripheral vertigo | 37 | 2.4% |
Gastrointestinal disease | 22 | 1.4% |
Sinusitis | 16 | 1.0% |
Hyperventilation | 16 | 1.0% |
Urinary tract infection | 16 | 1.0% |
Dehydration | 15 | 1.0% |
Respiratory disease | 14 | 0.9% |
Syncope | 10 | 0.6% |
Cervical spondylosis | 10 | 0.6% |
Other non-neurological disease | 176 | 11.3% |