Prospective ED Headache Cohort Study
Prospective ED Headache Cohort Study
The purpose of this study is to determine how often headaches recur and to learn how to
 predict continued suffering from headache after emergency department discharge.
The majority of the 5 million people who arrive at Emergency Departments (ED) with a headache
 every year are suffering from an acute exacerbation of a chronic, recurrent headache
 disorder. The role of the ED in treating these patients has been ill-defined. Often emergency
 physicians will treat the acute exacerbation and will not attend to the natural history of
 the disease. However, about two thirds of primary headache patients will suffer a recurrent
 headache in the 24 hours after discharge from the ED. And, many patients will continue to
 suffer recurrent headaches for months after their ED discharge.

 The purpose of this study is to learn how often headaches recur and to try to find a way to
 predict who will have a recurrent headache after ED discharge.

 After standard ED treatment for headache, participants in the study will be asked to answer
 questions about prior headaches and medical history, and some census-like questions about
 race/ethnicity, salary, and education via a 20-minute interview with a research associate.
 The researchers will follow-up with 10-minute telephone calls to each participant's home in
 24 hours and in 3 months with additional questions. Total length of time for study
 participation is approximately 40 minutes.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Emergency Department patients who present primarily for headache.

 -  Need to consent to and be available for follow-up