Analysis of primary headaches management in Poltava regions

Abstract

The aim: Assess quality of diagnosis and treatment of primary headaches (PH) in Poltava region. Materials and methods: There were examined 195 patients with PH who were previously consulted by different specialists due to headaches. We analyzed previously established diagnoses, previous consultations and prescribed investigations due to headache, drugs that were prescribed for headache treatment. Results: The misdiagnoses of PH were made due to considering the headache as secondary (as sign of dyscirculatory encephalopathy, arterial hypertension, autonomic dysfunction, cervical ostheochondrosis). Patients older 40 years were misdiagnosed more often with dyscirculatory encephalopathy, while patients under 40 years were more frequently misdiagnosed with autonomic dysfunctions. Patients sought medical help for headache problem and were repeatedly examined by different specialists (general practitioner, neurologist, cardiologist, ophthalmologist, oyorhinolaryngologist, neurosurgeon). Doctors prescribed a large number of identical uninformative neuroimaging and neurofunctional methods regardless of PH nosologies. Also it had been often prescribed therapy with the use of vascular, metabolic, nootropic drugs without specific pathogenetic effects for PH. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the diagnosis and treatment of PH according to international standards by raising awareness among general practitioners, neurologists and other specialists about the basics of PH diagnosis and treatment.