Are Headaches And Pain At The Back Of The Head In An Atrial Fibrillation Patient Indicative Of Risks Of A Stroke?

Posted on Tue, 7 Aug 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 7 Aug 2018 Answered on

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 Last reviewed on

Question : My 86 year old mother has had a headache in the back of her head all day. She has afib so I a concerned about a stroke.

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (36 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Any limb weakness, change in speech or level of consciousness?

Detailed Answer:

HI,

Headache alone is not concerning for stroke unless there is a neurologic symptom such as loss of limb function, difficulties with speech, level of consciousness, etc. If none of these is present, I will maintain there is no stroke. Rest and sleep in a quiet environment often helps. Tylenol 650mg once can be of great help as well.

If she has hypertension, make sure the blood pressure is well controlled. For Afib, hope she takes her blood thinners as prescribed.

I hope this helps. I wish you well. Feel free to follow up with me as you please.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar