[Catastrophic headache]

Abstract

Headache is like a poker player that often hides an ace up its sleeve. Sometimes because of the cruelty of the cause, other times because of misfortune and still others because of clinician error or the various steps involved in accessing healthcare, there are processes that manifest as isolated events or mainly as headache and whose consequences may be catastrophic. This article provides a brief but committed analysis of some of the main causes of catastrophic headache and aims to increase awareness of the importance of headache as a reason for consultation and of the thin line between innocuous and serious processes, between protocol and art, and between knowing too little and knowing too much.