Gender Differences in Neurological Emergencies

Abstract: Cerebrovascular neurological emergencies including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and migraine are leading causes of death and disability that are frequently diagnosed and treated in the emergency department (ED). Though sex and gender differences in neurologic emergencies are beginning to become more clear, there are many unanswered questions about how ED physicians should incorporate sex and gender into their research initiatives, patient evaluations, and overall management plans for these conditions. After evaluating the existing gaps in the literature, a core group of ED researchers developed a draft of future research priorities. Participants in the 2014 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference Neurologic Emergencies working group then discussed and approved the recommended research agenda using a standardized voting method. Recommendations for future research on the role of sex and gender in the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes pertinent to ED providers are described for each of three diagnoses: stroke, SAH, and migraine. Recommended future research also includes investigation of the biologic and pathophysiologic differences between men and women with neurologic emergencies as they pertain to ED diagnoses and treatments.