Table 3 The sensitivity of symptoms reported during emergency calls to an emergency medical dispatch center by patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage (n = 224) and controls (n = 609)
Symptom | Cases | Controls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n | % | 95% CI | n | % | 95% CI | |
Headache | 132 | 58.9 | 52.2–65.4 | 41 | 6.7 | 4.9–9.0 |
Nausea/vomiting | 105 | 46.9 | 40.2–53.6 | 63 | 10.3 | 8.0–13.0 |
Neck pain | 73 | 32.6 | 26.5–39.2 | 10 | 1.6 | 0.8–3.0 |
Unable to stand/walk | 55 | 24.6 | 19.1–30.7 | 98 | 16.1 | 13.3–19.3 |
Sweating | 51 | 22.8 | 17.5–28.8 | 69 | 11.3 | 8.9–14.1 |
Dizziness | 49 | 21.9 | 16.6–27.9 | 113 | 18.6 | 15.5–21.9 |
Speech difficulty | 43 | 19.2 | 14.3–24.9 | 91 | 14.9 | 12.2–18.0 |
Syncope | 40 | 17.9 | 13.1–23.5 | 154 | 25.3 | 21.9–28.9 |
Dyspnoea | 34 | 15.2 | 10.8–20.6 | 88 | 14.5 | 11.8–17.5 |
Persistently unconscious | 33 | 14.7 | 10.4–20.1 | 68 | 11.2 | 8.8–13.9 |
Fatigued/tired | 25 | 11.2 | 7.4–16.0 | 96 | 15.8 | 12.9–18.9 |
Feverish | 14 | 6.3 | 3.5–10.3 | 29 | 4.8 | 3.2–6.8 |
Cardiac arrest | 13 | 5.8 | 3.1–9.7 | 30 | 4.9 | 3.4–6.9 |
Fecal incontinence | 11 | 4.9 | 2.5–8.6 | 12 | 1.9 | 1.0–3.4 |
Back pain | 10 | 4.5 | 2.2–8.1 | 16 | 2.6 | 1.5–4.2 |
Facial paralysis | 9 | 4.0 | 1.9–7.5 | 44 | 7.2 | 5.3–9.6 |
Visual disturbance | 6 | 2.7 | 0.9–5.7 | 12 | 1.9 | 1.0–3.4 |
Abdominal pain | 4 | 1.8 | 0.5–4.5 | 15 | 2.5 | 1.4–4.0 |
Cardiac arrythmia | 2 | 0.9 | 0.1–3.2 | 12 | 1.9 | 1.0–3.4 |
Photophobia | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0–2.5 | 2 | 0.3 | 0.0–1.2 |
Chest pain | 0 | 0 | – | 23 | 3.8 | 2.4–5.6 |