Deadly brain bleeding can be identified by a new tool

Canadian researchers developed a simple tool that they consider to be helpful for doctors to make the right diagnosis. Deadly bleeding in the brain, called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, can cause a crushing headache that sends people to the emergency room. Often, the condition is misdiagnosed. Headache is a common complaint in the ER, accounting for about 2 percent to 4 percent of patient visits, said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Perry, an associate professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of Ottawa. This report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and according to it, the key factors that warrant further examination are: headache starting during exertion; age; neck pain or stiffness; witnessed loss of consciousness, and a “thunderclap headache” with instantly peaking pain and limited neck movement, such as inability to raise the head three inches off the bed. “We would like not to miss subarachnoid hemorrhage”, said Dr. David Newman-Toker, an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and co-author of an accompanying journal editorial. “Having a more standardized way of approaching patients would be a good idea”.