Cluster Headache

What are cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches cause a severe pain on one side of the head. They can last anywhere between 30 minutes to several hours.

Cluster headaches can happen several times a day, sometimes starting at the same time of day. The headache can occur daily, sometimes for weeks or months at a time. This is called an attack of cluster headache. It may then be months or years before they happen again.

These types of headaches are called cluster headaches due to the way they affect you in groups or clusters of attacks, before going away temporarily. Some people don’t get relief and experience ongoing cluster headaches.

Cluster headaches can be treated with medication to reduce the pain and frequency of attacks.

Are cluster headaches different from other types of headaches?

Most of us experience headaches at some point. They are usually caused by either a response from a part of the brain which is communicating pain (primary headache) or due to another health condition, such as dehydration, ear infection or congestion (a secondary headache). Cluster headaches are primary headaches.

Are cluster headaches the same as migraines?

Cluster headaches are often mistaken for other types of headaches such as migraines. However, a migraine is different as it tends to cause a pulsing, throbbing pain on one side of the head, which worsens in response to light, sound, smell or physical activity.

Cluster headaches are also often mistaken for sinus headaches, which tend to feel like a dull pain behind the eyes, forehead, nose or cheekbones, and tension headaches, which cause milder pain which appears as a band around the head.

What are the symptoms of cluster headaches?

The main symptom of cluster headaches is a severe pain on one side of the head. Usually, the pain is felt on the same side of the head throughout an attack cycle. The pain may be behind the eye or near the temple (orbital), above the eye (supraorbital) or behind the ear (temporal).

The pain of a cluster headache sometimes wakes people up in the night. This pain is often worse than pain felt during the day. Symptoms come on quickly and feel like a sharp, stabbing pain that makes sufferers feel restless.

Other symptoms, which appear on the same side of the head as the head pain, may include:

• A runny nostril
• Drooping eyelid
• Eye redness
• Flushing
• Watery eye.

What causes cluster headaches?

Doctors don’t fully understand what causes cluster headaches. Research has shown that they may be related to your body releasing certain chemicals near the nerve in the brain (called the trigeminal nerve) which is responsible for sending sensations between the face and the brain. They may also be caused by a dysfunction in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain which produces hormones which regulate bodily functions.

Cluster headaches can be triggered by certain things, causing symptoms to begin. Common triggers include:

• Alcohol
• Bright lights
• Hot weather
• Medication
• Nitrates in food
• Tobacco.

Some people experience cluster headaches when the seasons change. Experts believe this may be linked to a change in the amount of sunlight during certain times of the year.

How are cluster headaches diagnosed?

A neurologist will diagnose a cluster headache after discussing your symptoms and medical history with you in detail. They may ask to see you when a headache is occurring to see how it is affecting you.

Your doctor may also perform a physical exam and imaging tests to rule out other conditions.

How are cluster headaches treated?

Medication can be offered to treat cluster headaches. Prevention medications can make headaches less severe and can shorten a cycle of headaches. Pain medications can alleviate the symptoms. Anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) aren’t effective for cluster headache.

Your doctor may suggest alternative therapies such as acupuncture or physiotherapy.

In severe cases, surgery may be offered. This involves implanting a neurostimulator in the brain which sends electrical signals to certain nerves to manage symptoms.

Always discuss your treatment options with a doctor and together, decide what is right for you.

 

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