Cluster headaches

People affected by cluster headaches often have severe attacks of headache. These always occur on one side only, mostly around the eyes or temples.

Unlike other types of headache, cluster headaches have a number of typical concomitant symptoms. These include streaming eyes (often on one side only too), a runny nose or slightly drooping eyelid.

They are called cluster headaches because the symptoms occur more frequently in certain phases or in clusters. Most people are symptom-free between these phases. It is not known what causes cluster headaches.

Medical practitioners classify cluster headaches as primary headaches. These also include, for example, migraines and tension headaches, which are much more common than cluster headaches but less painful.

With cluster headaches, piercing, stabbing or burning pain rapidly builds up around one eye. The pain is very severe and may also occur around the temples and adjoining part of the forehead. Many of those affected say that the pain feels as if a nail is being driven into their eye.

The eye affected is often reddened and streaming. Other possible concomitant symptoms include:

• runny or stuffy nose
• contracted pupils
• sweating on the forehead and cheeks
• drooping or swollen eyelid
• hypersensitivity to sounds or light

Many of those affected by cluster headaches are restless or walk around during an attack as the pain eases a little when moving. An attack can last from 15 minutes up to three hours. The pain generally goes away as quickly as it came. It always affects the same side of the head in most cases.

The causes of cluster headaches are not known. Medical experts suspect, for example, that the nerve cells in the brain, which are also responsible for regulating the body’s circadian rhythms, may be hyperactive. Since cluster headaches often occur in members of the same family, there may be a genetic factor at play.

Like migraines, there are also specific triggers for cluster headache attacks. These include, for example, various substances or situations. For many people, cluster headaches can be caused by drinking alcohol. Other potential triggers include:

• periods spent at high altitudes
• drugs containing nitroglycerin, for example vasodilatory drugs for preventing angina in people with coronary heart disease

However, attacks are only triggered if people are already at an active phase where the cluster headaches tend to occur frequently.

Some people report that certain odors can trigger cluster headaches. Certain types of food such as certain cheeses or sausage products are often linked to the condition. However there is no scientific proof that these types of food can trigger the attacks.

Only about one in 1,000 people have cluster headaches. This form of headache is therefore very rare compared to tension headaches and migraines.

Men are affected by cluster headaches three times as often as women. In most cases, cluster headaches appear for the first time in people aged between 20 and 40. However they may occur at any age.

Cluster headaches normally only occur at certain phases. These phases are called clusters or episodes. They last anywhere between a few days and several weeks. Most people affected by cluster headaches are symptom-free for long periods between these phases, sometimes for years. The phases and attacks often occur in spring or autumn.

During a phase of cluster headaches the attacks may occur anywhere between every other day and several times a day. They often occur repeatedly at the same time of day, particularly early in the morning or one to two hours before going to sleep.

There are no known remedies to prevent someone from getting cluster headaches. However, those affected can try to identify the triggers and avoid them as much as possible in order to prevent attacks. It’s a good idea for those affected to keep a diary in which they record, for example, what they had eaten or drunk or what they had been doing before an attack.

There is medication that can help to prevent frequent attacks. The active ingredient in most of these is verapamil. However, verapamil can have adverse side effects such as cardiac arrhythmia. What’s more, this active ingredient is not an officially approved treatment for cluster headaches in Germany. Doctors can nevertheless prescribe verapamil (“off-label use”).

Lithium or cortisone are also used for prevention in some cases.

Doctors take a detailed medical history and conduct a physical examination to determine whether a cluster headache is indicated. This involves neurological checks such as touch perception and muscle strength.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the head is also usually taken to exclude other conditions as the cause of the headaches.

Painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol are not effective against acute cluster headaches. However many people find inhaling pure oxygen helpful. They use an oxygen mask connected to a special machine. It is important to ensure the correct oxygen levels are met. So the mask must cover both the mouth and nose.

Some triptan-based migraine medicines can alleviate acute cluster headaches. They are much faster acting when administered by syringe or as a nasal spray than as tablets. Hospitalization may be required at the start of the treatment.

More detailed information on what helps during an attack is available at gesundheitsinformation.de.

Cluster headaches are often described as unbearable. During most attacks people find it impossible to concentrate on anything else, go about their everyday activities or drive. Work and family life suffer too and it is difficult to take part in leisure activities.

Another stressful aspect is that the attacks frequently occur at night and can stop people from sleeping for hours at times. Many people affected by cluster headaches are unaware that they have them for a long time and are frightened that they may have a life-threatening disease. Some people even lose the will to live as a result of the cluster headaches.

A diagnosis and the knowledge that there are effective treatments for cluster headaches often bring some relief. Some changes are needed depending on the treatment. For example, people may have to learn how to live with an oxygen mask or how to inject themselves with medication.

People affected by cluster headaches report their experiences at gesundheitsinformation.de.