THE TRANSIENT SYNDROME OF HEADACHE WITH NEUROLOGIC DEFICITS AND CSF LYMPHOCYTOSIS - REPORT OF A CASE WITHOUT SEVERE HEADACHE

It has been recently reported that the occurrence of severe headache a ssociated with temporary neurologic deficits and CSF lymphocytic pleoc ytosis is highly suggestive of the so-called ''transient syndrome of h eadache with neurologic deficits and CSF lymphocytosis.'' In particula r, in almost all of the 40 patients reported in the literature to date , the head pain was severe and of a type not previously experienced by the patient. In the present case report, we describe a patient who fu lfilled almost all the proposed diagnostic criteria, except for the la ck of a severe headache. Probably, a severe headache is not a compulso ry feature of this syndrome. Some patients have rather mild headache a ccompanying their episodes of neurologic symptoms, and some attacks oc cur without any accompanying headache. It is possible that in some cas es the absence of a severe headache, and thus the lack of CSF analysis , lead to misdiagnosis. Therefore, the prevalence of this syndrome cou ld be underestimated.