Postpartum Headache: An Unexpected Manifestation of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome

Postpartum headache is described as complaints of headache and neck or shoulder pain in the first 6 weeks after delivery. The causes of postpartum headache include tension headache/migraine, preeclampsia/eclampsia, spinal headache, and cerebral pathology such as hemorrhage, thrombosis, or vasculopathy. We highlighted a case of a postpartum lady with a history of gestational hypertension who frequently attended out-patient facilities because of recurrent headaches. She had an episode of generalized tonic seizure that warranted visiting an emergency department. The findings of brain radio images were consistent with those of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). We recommend a high index of suspicion of such a disease when assessing parturient women with recurrent headaches during the initial primary care visit. The clinical features, complications, and radio-imaging characteristics of PRES are presented. (Eurasian J Emerg Med 2016; 15: 108-10)