Cluster headache is pain that occurs alongside one side of the head. It is mainly described as soreness that occurs around, in the back of, or above and along the temple in cyclic patterns or clusters. The ache of a cluster headache is very severe.
Many sufferers describe a “drilling” kind of sensation. There is also tearing/watering of the eyes, redness of the conjunctiva, rhinorrhea or nasal stuffiness, eyelid drooping, sweating on one part of the face, or alterations in pupil size (with the pupil on the affected area becoming particularly smaller) that are there. The headache lasts from minutes to about 3 hours. Nevertheless, the headache can recur up to eight times daily.
Men are two to four times more likely to have cluster headache than women; nevertheless, the overall frequency is particularly low, with a prevalence of about 1 per 1,000. Considering the the rarity of the situation, limited information is on hand.
Although the substantial majority of sufferers are adults, cluster headache was also found in children as younger as 6 years of age.
The unique cause and anatomic origin of cluster headaches is not known. MRI reports propose dilation of the ophthalmic artery during an acute cluster headache, even as PET scans reveal activity inside the cavernous sinus. However, many sufferers with other headache types even have abnormalities in identical regions, so these assessments aren’t definitive.
There may be some evidence that the hypothalamus is also involved in the recurrence cycle of cluster headaches. Activation of the trigeminal ganglion can lead to many alterations related to cluster headache, however the trigger for activation of this region hasn’t been identified.
What triggers cluster headaches? Here are some of them:
- While sleeping
- Alcohol
- Histamines and nitroglycerin
- Seasonal variation
- Other risk factors include smoking and a family history of the problem.
