HEADACHE CHARACTERISTICS IN GERIATRIC AGE GROUP ACCORDING TO ICHD-3 BETA VERSION

Introduction: The aim of this study was to screen patients aged >= 65 years admitted to the Baskent University Hospital Neurology Polyclinic between 2011 and 2013 and classify them according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. Materials and Method: In total, 175 patients (126 females and 49 males) were screened. First, they were separated into primary and secondary headache groups, and the subgroup headache types were then defined within these groups according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition; then, the concurrence of accompanying chronic diseases were examined. Results: In the primary headache group, 21.1% of the patients had migraine, 39.4% had tension-type headache, and 51% had trigeminal neuralgia; in the secondary headache group, 24.2% of the patients had headache attributed to hypertension, 18.2% had headache attributed to temporal arteritis, 18.2% had headache attributed to cervical pathology, and 12.1% had headache attributed to intracranial mass. Conclusion: This study was conducted to detect the most commonly seen headache types in geriatric population, and the results of this study are important in terms of increasing awareness of the evaluation of both primary and secondary headaches in geriatric patients. Because the study was conducted with a less patient population, it is important in terms of more accurately demonstrating the factors constituting the etiology of headache in this patient group.