Misdiagnosis of Headache

Alternative diagnoses list for Headache:

For a diagnosis of Headache, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Headache:

• Primary headache
  • Common Headache
  • Migraine
  • Sexual headache
  • Cluster headache
  • Tension headache
  • Chronic headache
• Secondary headache - see list of underlying conditions
• See also causes of headache and causes of symptom headache
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Meningitis
• Temporal arteritis
• Glaucoma
• Hypertension
• Cerebral ischaemia
• Arterial dissection (see Artery symptoms)
• Brain tumour
• Subarachnoid haemorrhage
• Brain abscess
• Caffiene
• Alcohol
• Drug withdrawal
• Pseudomotor cerebri
• Subdural haemorrhage
• Arteriovenous malformation
• Head injury
• Neurocysticercosis
• Vinus thrombosis
• Post lumbar puncture
• Carbon monoxide poisoning (type of Poisoning)
• Sinusitis
• Cervical arteritis
• Refractive error
• Dental abscess
• Otitis media
• TMJ dysfunction
• Depression
• Somatoform disorder
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Glossopharyngeal neuralgia

Diseases for which Headache may be an alternative diagnosis

The other diseases for which Headache is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:

• Acute Sinusitis
• Chronic tension headache
• Classic migraine
• Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Headache: Hidden Causes Misdiagnosed?

Causes of Headache may include these medical conditions:

• See also causes of symptom headache
• Infection
  • Common cold
  • Flu
• more causes...»

Rare Types of Headache:

• Cluster headache
• Eagles syndrome
• Temporal arteritis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Medication induced headache
• More rare types »

Headache: Medical Mistakes

Related medical mistakes may include:

• Migraine -- Health Mistakes
• more mistakes...»

Headache: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - ADHD can be undiagnosed in adults.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Common Misdiagnoses and Headache

Migraine an undiagnosed cause of headache: It is surprising that many migraine sufferers are not initially diagnosed. Although the condition is fairly well known, there are also many other causes of headache, and the diagnsosis of migraine is not always straight forward. See the introduction to migraine or other causes of headache (and types of headache).

Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps, particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes. However, there are also various other causes. See causes of leg cramps or misdiagnosis of diabetes.

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis. The condition goes by the name of "mild traumatic brain injury" (MTBI). MTBI symptoms can be mild, and can continue for days or weeks after the injury. See the symptoms of MTBI or misdiagnosis of MTBI.

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), for which the symptoms are typically mild. The symptoms has also relate to a relatively mild brain injury (e.g. fall), that could have occurred days or even weeks ago. Vestibular dysfunction, causing vertigo-like symptoms, is a common complication of mild brain injury. See causes of dizziness, causes of vertigo, or misdiagnosis of MTBI.

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can occur in post-concussion syndrome and these were not being correctly attributed to their concussion injury. See introduction to concussion.

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children. See misdiagnosis of migraine or introduction to migraine.

Hypertension misdiagnosis common in children: Hypertension is often misdiagnosed in adults (see misdiagnosis of hypertension), but its misdiagnosis is even more likely in children. Some of the symptoms of hypertension that can be overlooked include chest pain, headaches, abdominal pain, etc. See symptoms of hypertension or misdiagnosis of hypertension.

Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders). For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, diabetes-like symptoms, and various other symptoms. Pituitary tumors and other similar conditions are not as rare as physicians tend to believe. See introduction to pituitary conditions.

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis). See symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency or misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Glaucoma-red eye: Acute angle closure glaucoma is a medical emergency and can very often be misdiagnosed when it makes an atypical presentation.It occurs due to sudden increase in the intra ocular pressure. Patients may complain of sudden onset of severe pain in the affected eye with redness,nausea,vomiting ,headache and reduced vision.All cases of red eye must visit the opthalmologist the same day.Sometimes the cases may have more systemic presentations than ocular and hence the diagnosis maybe missed which can lead to blindness.

Pheochromocytoma can mimic an anxiety attack: Pheochromocytoma is a tumour of the adrenal glands which secretes excessive amounts of catecholamines such as epinephrine and nor-epinephrine. It usually occurs in young patients and is not an easily diagnosed as it is usually mistaken for an anxiety attack, essential hypertension or a case of hyperthyroidism. The patient usually presents with symptoms of sympathetic overactivity which leads to symptoms such as palpitation, anxiety, increased heart rate, headache and most importantly orthostatic hypotension etc. It is also associated with genetic syndromes such as multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes. Early diagnosis is needed so that the tumour can be excised surgically.

Weil's disease has poor outcome in severe cases: Leptospirosis( Weil's disesase) is a zoonotic condition which occurs due to the entry of spirochetes called leptospira. Transmission occurs by direct contact with the body fluid of an acutely infected animal or by exposure to soil or fresh water contaminated with the urine of an animal that is a chronic carrier. The prognosis for patients with mild infection is very good. More severe have a much poorer outcome. Extremes of age can result in more significant disease. The relatively poor resilience of elderly people produces a high mortality from Weil disease. Leptospirosis can be misdiagnosed as enteric fever, encephalitis or HIV infection. Government officials, public health workers, and health care workers should educate all populations at risk about proper preventative measures. Patients with severe disease need to remain in a hospitalized setting until adequate resolution of organ failure and clinical infection occurs.

Rash of Dengue can be misdiagnosed: Dengue fever also known as 'breakbone fever' is a mosquito borne viral infection. The most common clinical presentation is that of severe headache, eye pain, fever, joint pain and the maculopapular rubelliform rash which can lead to a chance of misdiagnosis. There are several conditions from which dengue has to differentiated some of them being Leptospirosis, measles, malaria, yellow fever, meningoencephalitis etc. No specific treatment of dengue is available. Early institution of supportive treatment is the key to management of patients with dengue of all forms.

Immediate care in extradural haematoma: Extradural haematoma is a surgical emergency because it can lead to death if the clot is not removed promptly. It usually occurs following a head injury that has resulted in only a transient loss of consciousness. A deteriorating conscious state is the most important neurological sign when it develops after the lucid interval. It is important to know that the drowsiness that occurs in a patient after a head injury is not misinterpreted as the patient just wishing to sleep. If treated early, prognosis usually is excellent, because the underlying brain injury generally is limited. Urgent craniotomy with evacuation of the clot is the ideal treatment.

Rare cases of headache: Headache is one of the common symptoms presenting in general practice. It needs a sound diagnostic and management strategy as the problem can be confusing. The key to diagnosing the condition is to know and understand the cause. A lot of factors need to kept in mind in order as to avoid misdiagnosing the cause of headache. A good history regarding the onset, duration, associated symptoms and general physical examination of the patient is a must. Common conditions such as migraine, tension headache, sinusitis and refractive errors of the eye can be easily diagnosed. But one must also be able to identify conditions such as Paget’s disease, Conn’s syndrome, Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome which may make a rare presentation in the form of a headache.

Ross river fever an epidemic polyarthritic condition: Ross river fever is prevalent in mosquito prone areas and in tropical regions. It can occur in all age groups but presents most commonly between 20- 30 years of age. The patient complains of polyarthritis, myalgia and headache. it is often misdiagnosed as a rubella, hepatitis- B, Barmah Forest virus, dengue and rheumatoid arthritis. Most cases experience resolution of the symptoms in 2- 4 weeks. Treatment is symptomatic with bed rest and analgesics.

Hidden cancer- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: This is a cancer which occurs in the nasopharynx - an area located behind the nose and above the throat. Vague nature of symptoms, hidden location and rare occurrence are all factors which are responsible for its late diagnosis. In fact, in most of the cases the diagnosis is only made after the cancer has metastasized thus making it difficult to treat. Although it most commonly occurs between ages 30 years and 60 years it can also occur in children. This cancer shows a very good response to radiation therapy and hence, radiation therapy is chosen as the first line of treatment.

Headache: Rare Types

Rare types of medical disorders and diseases in related medical areas:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
  • ADHD -- Rare Types
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Rare Types
  • Migraine -- Rare Types
  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
  • Parkinson's Disease -- Rare Types
  • more ...»
• more rare diseases...»

Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Headache:

The following medical news items are relevant to misdiagnosis of Headache:

• Aches and pains are depressing
• Brain tumour misdiagnosed as ears wax
• Brain tumour misdiagnosed as sinus infection
• Carbon monoxide misdiagnosis kills family of five
• Celiac disease more common than thought
• CO poisoning may be fatally mistaken for the flu
• Excruciating headaches leaves girl bedridden for 5 years
• Food allergies often confused with food intolerance
• Hepatitis is a contagious often misdiagnosed disease
• Hockey player off ice for over a year with misdiagnosed condition
• Husband upset over woman's brain tumor being misdiagnosed as depression
• Lupus diagnosis often takes 7 to 10 years
• Lupus treatment has improved over the years
• Lyme disease frequently misdiagnosed
• Meningococcal test offers hope
• Migraines frequently misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed
• Multiple sclerosis occurs in 1.1 million people worldwide
• Poor eyesight, not ADHD causing bad behavior at school
• Preeclampsia sufferers at greater risk of HELLP syndrome during pregnancy
• Research indicates that chronic fatigue syndrome is not a psychiatric disorder
• Two rare but painful conditions often misdiagnosed
• Two women develop chronic Lyme disease because doctors were unable to diagnose their condition
• Undiagnosed brain tumour put down to stress
• Woman prescribed headache pills for malignant brain tumour
• Woman’s brain tumour receives 35 different misdiagnoses over 20 years
• More news »

General Misdiagnosis Articles

Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.

• Misdiagnosis Overview
• How Common is Misdiagnosis?
• Over-Diagnosed Diseases
• Under-Diagnosed Diseases
• Types of Misdiagnosis
• Wrong Type Misdiagnosis
• Why Does Misdiagnosis Occur?
• Difficult Diseases to Diagnose
• More premium medical articles ...

About misdiagnosis:

When checking for a misdiagnosis of Headache or confirming a diagnosis of Headache, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Headache may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Headache. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.