POST-STROKE HEADACHE IN PATIENTS ATTENDED AT A SPECIALIZED OUTPATIENT CLINIC IN THE CITY OF SALVADOR / BA

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify the frequency of post-stroke headache and its and its association with possible clinical features related to the vascular event in individuals followed at a specialized outpatient clinic in the city of Salvador / BA. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with data from 109 patients with a diagnosis of stroke between the ages of 15 and 91, attended from January to June 2017. Patients with post-stroke headache were characterized according to gender, age, type and subtype classification, etiology, vascular territory and systemic arterial hypertension. The Chi-square and Fisher tests were used for the associations, adopting a 95% confidence interval through the SPSS program version 23.0. Patients with insufficient information in medical records and one case of TIA were excluded from the analysis. Of the 109 patients analyzed, approximately 40% developed headache, 60% of them female, with a mean age of 58 years. Thirty-two subjects (74.42%) presented ischemic type, with statistical significance for the lacunar subtype (p = 0.044, PR = 2.2). As for the vascular territory, a greater involvement of the right middle cerebral artery (30%) was observed. By analyzing the association between hypertension and headache, a protective relationship was found. The development of post-stroke headache seems to be related to the subtype of stroke and to be influenced by factors such as hypertension. However, studies are needed that better investigate this relationship and characterize the type of headache in this public, in order to establish the prognosis and better clinical management of these patients.