Monday 26 September 2011

What Are Cluster Headaches?

By Rose Williams


Most individuals in the world suffer from one or some of the different kinds of headaches. Usually, these headaches can be helped with OTC (over the counter) pain medications. Often, the headache is rather severe. One such type of headache that can cause severe pain is known as the Cluster Headache.

This form of headache is thought to be very uncommon. Where other headaches appear to occur like a band around the front of the head, Cluster Headaches seem to take place in groups or clusters. The pain from a Cluster Headache can last anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours. They are of a very severe nature and the pain is felt as sharp and piercing like a knife.

Generally, Cluster Headaches take place near one of the eyes or temples. Some of the signs of Cluster Headaches include hanging eyelids, red and watering eyes, and nasal congestion on the afflicted side of the face. With Cluster Headaches, the pain can be felt in either side of the head, but only in one at a time because Cluster Headaches are unilateral.

Other signs of Cluster Headaches include having a stiff or tender neck and suffering from jaw pain and toothache. Cluster Headaches are one of a primary group of headaches where the cause is not completely understood. It is known that Cluster Headaches occur often and that while they are of a short time period they cause the sufferer very bad to excruciating pain.

With Cluster Headaches the pain is strictly one sided and it is intense. The pain is known to often start near the eyes. It can occur once a day or more often during the day. Normally, the Cluster Headache develops at night and it may last for about 30-60 minutes.

However, Cluster Headaches can occur as episodic headaches as well. The term 'episodic' here meaning that they happen very infrequently. These headaches are of a 6 to 12 week duration. The sufferer will experience an episodic Cluster Headache about once a year or for about two years. They will also experience the pain at the same time in each attack.

Episodic Cluster Headaches can also occur at the same time for a period of a few weeks. This time period is then followed by a length of headache free time. This period may last for weeks or even years. Chronic Cluster Headache sufferers on the other hand will experience multiple headaches everyday for many years.

Cluster Headaches are also occasionally known as alarm clock headaches, because of their ability to arouse the sufferer from a sound night's sleep; Horton's Syndrome and suicide headaches. This last name is a reference to the severe pain and the sufferer's desperation to put an end to the pain.

While medical science describes Cluster Headaches as being benign, for the person who has to live with this pain, the attacks are painful and debilitating. It seems that the only way to stop these attacks is with medications that have been specially designed for Cluster Headaches.




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