Acute Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH)

A subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) results from medical aneurysmal rupture or traumatic head injury.[1] SAH occurs in the subarachnoid space between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater that surrounds the brain.[1] Patients typically present complaining of a severe headache; however, only 10% of patients presenting to the emergency department complaining of a thunderclap headache end up having a SAH.[1] Associated symptoms may include neck pain, nausea/vomiting, and photophobia.[2] Other similarly presenting diseases include meningitis, migraines, acute narrow-angle closure glaucoma, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and non-SAH intracerebral hemorrhage.[2]