HEADACHE IN ELDERLY PATIENTS - HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND MANAGE BENIGN TYPES

Headaches in elderly persons are usually benign. Nevertheless, the pos sibility of underlying organic disease increases with age. To facilita te diagnosis and determine suitable treatment, primary care physicians should become familiar with diagnostic criteria for common causes of headache in elderly persons. Thorough physical examination and history taking can help rule out many underlying diseases. Benign headaches c an usually he managed successfully with available non-pharmacologic an d/or pharmacologic interventions. When organic disease (eg, temporal a rteritis, cerebrovascular disease, tumor) is suspected, referral to an appropriate specialist may be indicated.