Headache

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. A Lot of Sufferers

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 1-4

3. Disturbances of Structure and Function

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 5-8

4. Approaching the Patient

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 9-13

5. Organic Causes of Headache

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 15-37

6. Miscellaneous Functional Headaches

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 39-47

7. Epidemiology of Headache

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 49-54

8. Clinical Features of Migraine and Other Headaches

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 55-80

9. Precipitating Causes of Migraine

   • Richard Peatfield

   Pages 81-93

10. The Pathophysiology of Headache

    • Richard Peatfield

    Pages 95-113

11. Treatment of Acute Headaches

    • Richard Peatfield

    Pages 115-124

12. The Prevention of Headache

    • Richard Peatfield

    Pages 125-142

13. Cluster Headache

    • Richard Peatfield

    Pages 143-159

14. Post-traumatic Headache

    • Richard Peatfield

    Pages 161-166

15. A Recapitulation

    • Richard Peatfield

    Pages 167-170

16. Back Matter

    Pages 171-178

    PDF

The rapid pace of advance in the basic and clinical sciences has led to striking changes in the practice of medicine. This is particularly evident in clinical neurology. Twenty years ago neurology was justly criticised for its preoccupation with diagnosis and classification, and for the relative paucity of treatments then available. All this has now changed, and neurology has become a treatment-oriented specialty. This change has been brought about partly as a result of the introduction of new and accurate methods of diagnosis, especially immunological, electrophysiological and imaging techniques, and partly as a result of new forms of treatment. Examples of these new treatments include the control of cerebral edema, new antibiotics for infections of the nervous system, drug level measurements for the evaluation of the adequacy of treatment of epilepsy and advances in neurosurgical technique. In addition, many patients presenting with neurological disorders are found to be suffering not from primary diseases of the nervous system but rather from neurological compli­ cations of systemic disease. Vascular disease, cancer and infections are common examples. The degenerative disorders have recently become a focus of attention as their importance in the aging societies of the developed Western countries has been realised, and this raises the hope of improved management and treatment of these disorders.

• antibiotics
• diagnosis
• epilepsy
• infection
• management
• medicine
• nervous system
• neurology
• treatment

• General Infirmary at Leeds, Leeds 1, West Yorkshire, UK

  Richard Peatfield

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