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Headache and Sinonasal Disease

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Diseases of the Sinuses

Abstract

Headache and rhinosinusitis are two of the most common conditions seen in clinical practice. Although headache is common in patients with sinus disease, recurrent disabling headache is usually due to migraine or a related disorder. Migraine frequently presents with symptoms such as frontal pressure, congestion, or facial pain which can mimic sinus pathology. Cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias can cause significant autonomic symptoms, such as tearing, congestion, and rhinorrhea. Cluster headache is more common in tobacco users and in some cases can result from sinus pathology. Stimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion is an emerging treatment for cluster headache. Contact point headache should be considered in patients with focal headaches and a contact point on the lateral nasal wall. Spinal fluid leak due to nasal disease may produce a low-pressure headache syndrome. Trigeminal neuralgia and other facial pains may be attributed to sinus disease, but proven nasal/sinus causes are unusual. Although most cases of frontal, maxillary, and ethmoid sinusitis are fairly easy to diagnose and not often confused with headache, sphenoid sinusitis is more commonly overlooked as a source of head pain and can present with progressive or thunderclap headache.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 900 Walnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    Michael J. Marmura MD & Stephen D. Silberstein MD

Authors
  1. Michael J. Marmura MD
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  2. Stephen D. Silberstein MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Marmura MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

    Christopher C. Chang

  2. Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California School of Medicine, Davis, California, USA

    Gary A. Incaudo

  3. The Jack and Donald Chia Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California School of Medicine, Davis, California, USA

    M. Eric Gershwin

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Marmura, M.J., Silberstein, S.D. (2014). Headache and Sinonasal Disease. In: Chang, C., Incaudo, G., Gershwin, M. (eds) Diseases of the Sinuses. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0265-1_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0265-1_13

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0265-1

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