Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches strike men more often than women. (Read about "Headaches") It's a ratio of about five to one, according to the National Headache Foundation (NHF). It's estimated that less than one percent of the population suffers from cluster headaches, most between the ages of 20 to 45.

The American Council for Headache Education (ACHE) says cluster headaches arrive without warning, grow in intensity in 10 to 15 minutes and usually last 30 to 45 minutes. Once it goes away however, that isn't the end of it. NHF says that most people have up to four headaches a day when they are having cluster headaches. Often the headaches will start either early in the morning or at night, waking the person up.

Clusters headaches often occur in the spring and fall, so many people associate them with allergy season, according to NHF. (Read about "Pollen Allergies")

Symptoms and causes

Cluster headaches are almost always on one side of the head. Often they start around the eye and the temple. The pain is described by many terms, such as:

• stabbing
• burning
• throbbing

People with cluster headaches describe the pain as piercing and unbearable. The nose and the eye on the affected side of the face may also get red, swollen and runny, and some people will experience nausea, restlessness and agitation, or sensitivities to light, sound or smell. Many victims say they cannot sit still and will rock or even hit their head against something. Most affected individuals have one to three cluster headaches a day and two cluster periods a year, separated by periods of freedom from symptoms. A small group of people develops a chronic form of the disorder, characterized by bouts of cluster headaches that can go on for years with only brief periods (2 weeks or less) of remission.

The causes of cluster headaches are still under investigation. NHF says that some researchers suspect histamines, but point out that antihistamines have not proven to be an effective therapy.

Cluster headaches do not have a heredity link, according to NHF, but many suffers have a history of smoking and alcohol is known to trigger a headache. (Read about "Quit Smoking" "Alcoholism")

According to the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), there are medications available to lessen the pain of a cluster headache and suppress future attacks. Oxygen inhalation and triptan drugs (such as those used to treat migraine) can be administered as a tablet, nasal spray or injection. NINDS says these drugs can provide quick relief from acute cluster headache pain. Lidocaine nasal spray, which numbs the nose and nostrils, may also be effective. Ergotamine and corticosteroids may be prescribed to break the cluster cycle and then tapered off once headaches end. If you are experiencing cluster headaches, you should see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Related Information:

    Headaches

    Migraine Headaches

    Sinusitis and Rhinitis

    Tension Headaches