Understanding Headaches Classification
This year saw the publication of the third edition of the International Classification
of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) a comprehensive diagnostic guide which categorizes and clinically
defines all types of headaches as they are presently understood.
This follows the publication of the beta edition in 2013, which was available online
for the past several years both as a tool for diagnosis and classification, and to promote
field testing and evidence- and clinical-based feedback before finalization of the new
edition.1-2 In either case, the ICHD-3 is a very helpful guide for any
clinicians who manage patients presenting with headache.
Despite its utility, and the availability of the beta version in a user-friendly online
format since 2013, many clinicians are unaware of this helpful and important resource.
Headache is a prevalent disorder worldwide across many settings, and a particularly common
chief complaint in the emergency department
Because of the extensive array of various headache diagnoses, which can have significant
overlap in presentation and sometimes subtle points of diagnostic differentiation, the ICHD-3
is a resource meant to be easily accessible and frequently referred back to whenever it is needed to assist in diagnosing specific headache disorders.
While this would be less important if all headaches were
best managed in a similar fashion, therapeutic management in fact.
Understanding Headaches Classification
Emerg Med Open J. 2018; 4(1): 1-4. doi: 10.17140/EMOJ-4-146
