Home > Medical Reference > Patient Education

Ask the Expert

Get answers to your Pediatric Headache and Hospitalist questions.

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Please install flash player to see this video.

Pediatrics Virtual Tour

Headaches - cluster - Prognosis

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cluster headaches.

Prognosis:

The pain of cluster headaches can be intolerable. In fact, a higher-than-average rate of suicide has been reported in men with these headaches. Eventually, as people age, the attacks cease, but doctors cannot predict when or how they will end.

Effects on Mental and Emotional Functioning

Anxiety and depression are common among people with cluster headaches, which can affect functioning and quality of life.

Auras and Medical Risks

About 14% of patients with cluster headaches have migraine-like aura. Recent research suggests that headaches that are accompanied by aura may increase the risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). TIA symptoms are similar to those of stroke, but last only briefly. A TIA is often a warning sign that a person is at risk for a more severe stroke. Headaches with auras may also increase the risk for eye retinal damage (retinopathy). The risks for stroke and retinopathy are associated with the effects of aura-related headaches on small blood vessels in the brain and the eyes.

Resources

www.i-h-s.org -- International Headache Society
www.headaches.org -- National Headache Foundation
www.achenet.org -- American Headache Society
www.aan.com -- American Academy of Neurology
www.ninds.nih.gov -- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
www.ouch-us.org -- Organization for Understanding Cluster Headaches
www.clusterheadaches.com -- Support group for people with cluster headaches

References

Beck E, Sieber WJ, Trejo R. Management of cluster headaches. Am Fam Physician. 2005; 71(4): 717-24.

Burns B, Watkins L, Goadsby PJ. Treatment of medically intractable cluster headache by occipital nerve stimulation: long-term follow-up of eight patients. Lancet. 2007 Mar 31;369(9567):1099-106.

Cittadini E, May A, Straube A, Evers S, Bussone G, Goadsby PJ. Effectiveness of intranasal zolmitriptan in acute cluster headache: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. Arch Neurol. November 2006. [Epub ahead of print 11 September 2006]

Magis D, Allena M, Bolla M, De Pasqua V, Remacle JM, Schoenen J. Occipital nerve stimulation for drug-resistant chronic cluster headache: a prospective pilot study. Lancet Neurol. 2007 Apr;6(4):314-21.

May A. Cluster headache: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Lancet. 2005; 366(9488): 843-55.

Rapoport AM, Mathew NT, Silberstein SD, Dodick D, Tepper SJ, Sheftell FD, Bigal ME. Zolmitriptan nasal spray in the acute treatment of cluster headache: a double-blind study. Neurology. 2007 Aug 28;69(9):821-6.

Rose KM, Wong TY, Carson AP, Couper DJ, Klein R, Sharrett AR. Migraine and retinal microvascular abnormalities: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Neurology. 2007 May 15;68(20):1694-700.

Schurks M, Kurth T, de Jesus J, Jonjic M, Rosskopf D, Diener HC. Cluster headache: clinical presentation, lifestyle features, and medical treatment. Headache. 2006 Sep;46(8):1246-54.

Silberstein SD, Young WB. Headache and facial pain. In: Goetz CG, eds. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 53.

Sostak P, Krause P, Forderreuther S, Reinisch V, Straube A. Botulinum toxin type-A therapy in cluster headache: an open study. J Headache Pain. 2007 Sep 24; [Epub ahead of print]

Van Vliet JA, Eekers PJ, Haan J, Ferrari MD; Dutch RUSSH Study Group. Evaluating the IHS criteria for cluster headache -- a comparison between patients meeting all criteria and patients failing one criterion. Cephalalgia. 2006 Mar;26(3):241-5.

Reviewed last on: 9/9/2008
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.