A case of sentinel headache misdiagnosed: A catastrophe

Abstract

Headache is the main complaint in outpatients consulting the neurologist and of adult patients presenting to an emergency department (ED) complaining of a headache. About a quarter of all patients presenting to the ED with a sudden-onset severe headache, described as the “worst of their lives,” have a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Patients may report symptoms consistent with a minor hemorrhage such as mild headache before a major rupture, which has been called a sentinel headache. Hereby, we describe a case of warning headache, an underestimated diagnosis.