SynthesisThe journal of headache and pain2014
A systematic review of causes of sudden and severe headache (Thunderclap Headache): should lists be evidence based?
Synthesis in The journal of headache and pain, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Rare Primary Headaches in Children: A Narrative Review.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Thunderclap headache as a first manifestation of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: case report and literature review.BMC neurology · 2024Review
- Sudden onset headaches in paediatric emergency departments: diagnosis and management.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2023Review
- Cardiac cephalalgia: a case series of four patients and updated literature review.International journal of emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Imaging in headache disorders.Australian prescriber · 2022Review
- Cryptococcal meningitis due toBMJ case reports · 2022Article
- Thunderclap Headache in Children and Adolescents.Current pain and headache reports · 2022Review
- HaNDL Syndrome Presenting with Thunderclap Headache.Case reports in neurological medicine · 2021Article
- Thunderclap Headache: A Primary Symptom of a Steroid-Responsive Encephalopathy with Autoimmune Thyroiditis.Case reports in neurological medicine · 2021Article
- Other primary headaches-thunderclap-, cough-, exertional-, and sexual headache.Journal of neurology · 2020Review
- Family Game Show-style Didactic for Teaching Nervous System Disorders during Emergency Medicine Training.Journal of education & teaching in emergency medicine · 2020Article
- Headache and Its Approach in Today's NeuroIntensive Care Unit.Neurocritical care · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere are many potential causes of sudden and severe headache (thunderclap headache), the most important of which is aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Published academic reviews report a wide range of causes. We sought to create a definitive list of causes, other than aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, using a systematic review.
methodsSystematic Review of EMBASE and MEDLINE databases using pre-defined search criteria up to September 2009. We extracted data from any original research paper or case report describing a case of someone presenting with a sudden and severe headache, and summarized the published causes.
resultsOur search identified over 21,000 titles, of which 1224 articles were scrutinized in full. 213 articles described 2345 people with sudden and severe headache, and we identified 6 English language academic review articles. A total of 119 causes were identified, of which 46 (38%) were not mentioned in published academic review articles. Using capture-recapture analysis, we estimate that our search was 98% complete. There is only one population-based estimate of the incidence of sudden and severe headache at 43 cases per 100,000. In cohort studies, the most common causes identified were primary headaches or headaches of uncertain cause. Vasoconstriction syndromes are commonly mentioned in case reports or case series. The most common cause not mentioned in academic reviews was pneumocephalus. 70 non-English language articles were identified but these did not contain additional causes.
conclusionsThere are over 100 different published causes of sudden and severe headache, other than aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. We have now made a definitive list of causes for future reference which we intend to maintain. There is a need for an up to date population based description of cause of sudden and severe headache as the modern epidemiology of thunderclap headache may require updating in the light of research on cerebral vasoconstriction syndromes.
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