What is it about ?
Cluster headache is also called cluster headache or cluster headache.
It is a type of headache that affects only one side of the head (one-sided). It manifests as intense attacks of stabbing, burning pain around the eye, which usually last 30 to 180 minutes. Cluster headache attacks occur over a period of 3 to 4 weeks, followed by periods without symptoms of 2 months to several years.
During times of seizures, patients suffer from it every day and often wake up at night. The eye on the sore side is often affected. It may redden and tear up, and sometimes the pupil narrows and the eyelid droops (blepharoptosis). Cluster headache occurs suddenly and is not accompanied by nausea or vomiting.
Where and how often?
Cluster headache mainly affects men: out of 10 people affected, 7 are men. It often appears between the ages of 30 and 40.
About 3 in 1,000 people have it.
1 in 10 people with cluster headaches have a chronic form of the disease.
How to recognize it?
You have severe headache on one side (unilateral), accompanied by eye problems on the same side.
How is the diagnosis made?
The doctor will ask you when and how often the headaches occur, where they are felt, whether you have nausea or not, etc.
Sometimes he’ll ask you to keep a headache diary for a few weeks.
There are other types of unilateral headaches, for example, trigeminal neuralgia or a tension headache unilateral. Most often, the doctor can tell them apart on the basis of your symptoms, but this is not always obvious.
In addition, in women, migraine and cluster headache can strike at the same time or alternately.
What can you do ?
See the doctor if you suffer from severe one-sided headaches.
What can your doctor do?
The doctor will prescribe treatment to relieve the pain. The most effective is a drug (sumatriptan) that is injected under the skin. You can easily learn how to give these injections on your own. During a seizure, inhaling oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes can relieve headaches.
If you have frequent seizures, treatment may be prescribed to prevent seizures. There are several possibilities for preventive treatment.