PREVALÊNCIA E IMPACTO DA CEFALEIA SENTINELA NO CONTEXTO DE HEMORRAGIA SUBARACNÓIDE ESPONTÂNEA POR ROTURA DE ANEURISMA CEREBRAL: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

Introduction: Sentinel headache is a sudden and intense headache that can occur days or weeks before a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and before Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SSAH). It is characterized by sudden and intense pain, often described as a "thunderclap headache" and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Understanding the prevalence of sentinel headache is crucial, as it can serve as a warning sign that allows early diagnosis and intervention before aneurysm rupture. Objectives: to analyze the real prevalence of sentinel headache in patients who present with ruptured cerebral aneurysm. As well as to identify a possible relationship between the presence of sentinel headache and morbidity and mortality of patients with spontaneous SAH due to ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Methodology: This is an integrative review of the literature. A literature search was performed using the online search engines PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Public Knowledge Project (PKP). Results: A total of 4 articles were included in this study. The prevalence of sentinel headache was 43%. The results are presented in a table describing the articles found, according to database, author(s), year, objectives, methods, results, and conclusion. Conclusion: Understanding the prevalence of sentinel headache, which is significant, leads to a higher degree of clinical suspicion in the face of characteristic conditions and contributes to the earlier detection of unruptured cerebral aneurysms, which leads to a reduction in the incidence of SAH, a disease with high morbidity and mortality.