Table 3 Demographic and clinical profiles of patients with sudden and thunderclap headaches
From: A common cause of sudden and thunderclap headaches: reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome
Sudden headache | Thunderclap headache | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | RCVS | Non-RCVS | P | Total | RCVS | Non-RCVS | P | |
(n = 31) | (n = 14) | (n = 17) | (n = 24) | (n = 11) | (n = 13) | |||
Age (years) | 45.3 ± 10.7 | 50.8 ± 9.3 | 40.8 ± 10.0 | 0.006 | 45.7 ± 10.5 | 49.4 ± 10.0 | 42.6 ± 10.3 | 0.092 |
Female | 21 (67.7%) | 12 (85.7%) | 10 (58.8%) | 0.132 | 16 (66.7%) | 9 (81.8%) | 8 (61.5%) | 0.386 |
Previous headache | 17 (54.8%) | 10 (71.4%) | 7 (41.2%) | 0.149 | 14 (58.3%) | 8 (72.7%) | 6 (46.2%) | 0.240 |
Precipitating factors | 0.304 | 0.576 | ||||||
None | 25 (80.6%) | 9 (64.3%) | 16 (94.1%) | 19 (79.2%) | 7 (63.6%) | 12 (92.3%) | ||
Vasoactive substances | 4 (12.9%) | 3 (21.4%) | 1 (5.9%) | 3 (12.5%) | 2 (18.2%) | 1 (7.7%) | ||
Postpartum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Headache characters | ||||||||
Intensity | 8.4 ± 1.7 | 8.6 ± 1.9 | 8.3 ± 1.6 | 0.375 | 8.7 ± 1.2 | 8.8 ± 1.5 | 8.5 ± 0.9 | 0.502 |
Location | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
Bilateral | 17 (70.8%) | 7 (70%) | 10 (71.4%) | 14 (70.0%) | 6 (66.7%) | 8 (72.7%) | ||
Duration | 0.007 | 0.004 | ||||||
< 1 hour | 14 (51.9%) | 3 (23.1%) | 11 (78.6%) | 10 (45.5%) | 1 (10.0%) | 9 (75.0%) | ||
Single attack | 4 (12.9%) | 0 | 4 (23.5%) | 0.107 | 2 (15.4%) | 0 | 2 (8.3%) | 0.482 |
Lingering pain | 12 (38.7%) | 6 (42.9%) | 6 (35.3%) | 0.724 | 10 (41.7%) | 5 (45.5%) | 5 (38.5%) | 1.0 |
Triggers | ||||||||
Sexual activity | 9 (29.0%) | 2 (14.3%) | 7 (41.2%) | 0.132 | 7 (29.2%) | 2 (18.2%) | 5 (38.5%) | 0.386 |
Exertion§ | 5 (16.1%) | 0 | 5 (29.4%) | 0.048 | 4 (16.7%) | 0 | 4 (30.8%) | 0.098 |
Valsalva maneuver§ | 14 (45.2%) | 8 (57.1%) | 6 (35.3%) | 0.289 | 10 (41.7%) | 6 (54.5%) | 4 (30.8%) | 0.408 |
Emotion§ | 3 (9.7%) | 1 (7.1%) | 2 (11.8%) | 1.0 | 3 (12.5%) | 1 (9.1%) | 2 (15.4%) | 1.0 |
Bathing* | 6 (19.4%) | 6 (42.9%) | 0 | 0.004 | 4 (16.7%) | 4 (36.4%) | 0 | 0.031 |
Cough§ | 2 (6.5%) | 0 | 2 (11.8%) | 1.0 | 1 (4.2%) | 0 | 1 (7.7%) | 1.0 |
Others | 6 (19.4%) | 5 (35.7%) | 1 (5.9%) | 0.067 | 4 (16.7%) | 3 (27.3%) | 1 (7.7%) | 0.300 |
No triggers | 3 (9.7%) | 1 (7.1%) | 2 (11.8%) | 1.0 | 2 (8.3%) | 0 | 2 (15.4%) | 0.482 |
Possible neurological symptoms | 3 (9.7%) | 2 (14.3%) | 1 (5.9%) | 0.576 | 1 (4.2%) | 1 (9.1%) | 0 | 0.458 |
Abnormal CT or MRI† | 5 (16.1%) | 3 (21.4%) | 2 (11.8%) | 0.636 | 4 (16.7%) | 3 (27.3%) | 1 (7.7%) | 0.300 |
Lumbar puncture | 3 (9.7%) | 3 (21.4%) | 0 | 0.081 | 2 (8.3%) | 2 (18.2%) | 0 | 0.199 |
Angiography | 8 (25.8%) | 5 (35.7%) | 3 (17.6%) | 0.412 | 7 (29.2%) | 5 (45.5%) | 2 (15.4%) | 0.182 |