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Secondary “hypnic headache-

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Abstract

Hypnic headache is a rare form of primary headache with attacks occurring exclusively with sleep. As it is typical of the elderly, a wide range of alternative diagnosis must be considered. We present a case report of a 54-year-old woman with unsuspected secondary hypnic headache that was relieved by anti-hypertensive therapy. We reviewed the literature to evaluate the usual diagnostic workup performed in hypnic headache patients. We suggest that 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be included in the evaluation of nocturnal headache complaints especially in the elderly, in whom essential hypertension is a very frequent comorbidity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Headache Group, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, LondonWC1N 3BG, UK

    Raquel Gil-Gouveia & Peter J. Goadsby

  2. The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK

    Raquel Gil-Gouveia & Peter J. Goadsby

Authors
  1. Raquel Gil-Gouveia
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  2. Peter J. Goadsby
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Correspondence to Peter J. Goadsby.

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Gil-Gouveia, R., Goadsby, P.J. Secondary “hypnic headache-. J Neurol 254, 646–654 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0424-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0424-4

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