Main description:

Headaches afflict 70% of the population with 12%, or 30 million adult Americans, suffering from migraines. Due to co-morbidities, up to 30% of patients seen in primary care settings suffer from migraines. Medical care provided to these headache sufferers is often suboptimal.

Part of the 'Oxford American Pain Library,' this concise handbook provides primary care doctors and other health care professionals with practical information about the diagnosis and management of headache in their patients. The book covers the classification of headaches and provides shortcuts to making an accurate diagnosis, along with recommendations for the proper utilization of diagnostic procedures. Common headache conditions discussed include migraine, chronic migraine, status migraine,
cluster and related headaches, tension headaches, sinus headaches, cervicogenic headaches, secondary headaches, and neuralgias.

The book provides a comprehensive review of pharmacological treatments such as antihypertensive agents, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, 5HT1 agonists (triptans), as well as a discussion of the scientific basis of non-drug treatments. Representative cases are presented to aid the integration of factual knowledge with practical approaches. The book is concise yet comprehensive, scientific as well as practical, filled with facts, but highly readable. The small format makes it portable as well
as affordable.