THUNDERCLAP HEADACHE

Course overview

THE TERM ’THUNDERCLAP HEADACHE’ (TCH) WAS FOUNDED BY DAY AND RASKIN IN THE YEAR 1986. THEY DISCOVERED IT IN A PATIENT SUFFERING FROM AN UNRUPTURED CEREBRAL ANEURYSM WHO PRESENTED WITH MULTIPLE EPISODES OF AN ABRUPT ONSET OF A SEVERE FORM OF HEADACHE, LATER LABELED AS TCH. TCH IS DEFINED AS A SEVERE FORM OF HEADACHE THAT OCCURS ABRUPTLY, LIKE A ’CLAP OF THUNDER’ AS SUGGESTED BY THE NAME, PEAKS WITHIN 30 SECONDS TO 1 MINUTE OF THE ONSET, AND USUALLY FADES IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. IT IS OFTEN DEFINED BY THE SUFFERERS AS THE WORST HEADACHE OF THEIR LIFE. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THUNDERCLAP HEADACHE.