Cluster headache, what it is and why it can be more serious for women – breaking latest news

Cluster headaches are thought to be more common among men, but new research coordinated by the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and published in Neurology suggests that the disorder could be more severe in women than it is for men.

Symptoms

Cluster headaches are manifested by extremely painful episodes lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours and they can occur for many days in a row or even weeks. Cluster headache is considered the most severe form of headache, earning it the nickname suicide headache but fortunately it is also the rarest, and in fact it affects one person in every 500-1000. Although it can occur at any age, this tends to appear after the age of 20. It mainly affects male individualsalthough smokers appear to be most at risk.

Cluster headache manifests itself as a severe pain around one eye, always on the same side. Sometimes the pain can also affect the frontal area, face and jaw. Other possible accompanying symptoms, always and only on the affected side, are: redness of the eye, drooping of the eyelid, runny nose, frontal sweating, lachrymation, restlessness and inability to sit still due to the pain.

Difficult diagnosis

Cluster headaches are still often misdiagnosed in women, perhaps because some features may be migraine-like, said the study author. Andrea C. Belin, a neurologist at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. It is important for doctors to be aware of how the disorder manifests differently in men and women, so that the most effective treatment can be given as quickly as possible.

How the study was conducted

The Swedish study, which involved 874 people diagnosed with cluster headache (34% female), showed that women were more likely to be diagnosed with chronic cluster headache (18%) than men (9%). The attacks were also longer for women than for men. Eight percent of women reported having headache attacks that recurred for an average of 4-7 months, compared with 5 percent of men. Attacks lasting less than a month affected 26% of women compared with 30% of men. Women also reported more often than men to have attacks at various times of the day (74% and 63%), as well as were more likely than men to have a family member with a history of cluster headache (15% and 7% ). One limitation of the study was that the information was reported by the participants, so they may not have remembered everything correctly.

Therapy

The drug of first choice to counteract the attack of cluster headache il sumatriptan, which is administered subcutaneously effective in seconds in most cases. Sumatriptan is also taken orally in tablet form when the first symptoms of a migraine attack appear. If necessary, a second dose can be taken after at least two hours, but only after medical advice. In some cases, in combination or as an alternative to sumatriptan (in those who do not respond or cannot take it), it is possible to resort tooxygen therapy with 100% oxygen at high flow, ie about 15 liters per minute for ten minutes, taken through a special mask. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and opiate drugs have no effect. If the headache does not respond to pharmacological treatments, it can be considered transcutaneous superficial neurostimulation or subcutaneously of some peripheral nerves.