Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41929700›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in neuroscience2026

Post-stroke headache: a review of epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical management.

Dabao Yao, Luwei Nie, Danyang Chen, Shiling Chen, Xuan Wu, Chao Pan, Yingxin Tang, Na Liu, Zhouping Tang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Dabao YaoDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Luwei NieDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Danyang ChenDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Shiling ChenDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Xuan WuDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Chao PanDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Yingxin TangDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Na LiuDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Zhouping TangDepartment of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Post-stroke headache (PSH) and its chronic counterpart, persistent post-stroke headache (PPSH), represent significant but frequently overlooked complications of cerebrovascular disease that adversely affect rehabilitation and quality of life. This review provides an updated synthesis of PSH, following its formal classification in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3). We examine the epidemiology of PSH, noting a prevalence range of 6-44% in ischemic stroke survivors, with risk factors including younger age, female sex, and posterior circulation lesions. The pathophysiology is explored as a complex interplay involving the trigeminovascular system, neurogenic inflammation, and central sensitization, often exacerbated by structural factors such as edema and stroke topography. Clinical phenotypes vary, predominantly presenting as tension-type, though migraine-like features occur. Furthermore, this review highlights the critical role of headache as a sentinel symptom in the differential diagnosis of distinct stroke etiologies such as cervical artery dissection, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, and cerebral venous thrombosis. A major finding is the significant gap in evidence-based management; current therapeutic strategies often rely on extrapolating data from primary headache disorders, with unverified safety profiles for newer agents such as triptans and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists in the post-stroke population. We conclude by emphasizing the urgent need for randomized controlled trials to establish safe, effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for this disabling condition.

Indexed as

cerebrovascular diseaseICHD-3 classificationpost-stroke headachestroke mimicstherapeutic strategies

Identifiers

PMID41929700
PMCPMC13038870

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.