When you have headaches, intense (Cluster Headaches)

The article is consulted professionally by Master, Dr Huynh An Thien – Neuron – Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine – Share99 Da Nang International Hospital.

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Cluster headaches occur cyclically or in clusters, which is one of the most annoying types of headaches. Cluster headaches often wake the person in the middle of the night with severe pain or around one side of the eye.

Exacerbated headaches are called clusters, which can last from weeks to months. After that, remission pain will not have headaches that occur for months and sometimes even years. Fortunately, cluster headaches rarely occur and are not life-threatening.

1. Symptoms of headache

Cluster headaches, also known as headaches that appear quickly, often without warning, can warn in advance including nausea and seeing a migraine-like aura. Common signs and symptoms of headache include:

  • Severe pain is usually located in, behind or around one eye, but can radiate other areas of the face such as the head and neck
  • Pain on one side of the body
  • Restless
  • Affected side eyes are red
  • Congestion or runny nose on the affected side
  • Forehead or face on the affected side or sweating
  • Pale, pale skin or flushed face
  • Swelling around the eyes on the affected side
  • Ptosis on the affected side.

Some migraine-like symptoms include sensitivity to light and sounds that may occur to people with cluster headaches, although often on one side.

Children with headaches

Severe pain is usually located in, behind or around one eye, but can radiate other areas of the face such as the head and neck

2. Cluster headache characteristics

A period of chain headache usually lasts for several weeks to several months. The start date and length of each cluster stage can be consistent through each different cluster stage. For example, cluster time can occur seasonally, such as occurring only in spring or autumn.

Most patients have headaches. Headaches occur from one week to a year, followed by a painless remission period that can last up to 12 months before another cluster headache appears.

During cluster headaches:

  • Headaches usually occur every day, sometimes several times a day
  • Each can last from 15 minutes to three hours
  • Headache episodes usually occur at the same time every day
  • Most headaches usually occur at night, after one to two hours when the person has slept
  • The pain usually ends abruptly with a rapidly decreasing intensity, most patients suffer from exhaustion.

3. Have a headache in batches when to see a doctor?

See your doctor if you are just starting to have cluster headaches to exclude other diseases and find the most effective treatment.

Headaches can sometimes point to some serious underlying diseases, such as brain tumors or weak vascular ruptures (aneurysms). Go to an Emergency Medical facility if you have any of the following signs and symptoms:

  • Sudden, intense headaches, like lightning strikes
  • Headache accompanied by fever, nausea or vomiting, neck stiffness, psycho disturbed, convulsions, numbness or difficulty speaking, these may be signs of certain diseases such as stroke, meningitis, encephalitis or brain tumors
  • Headache after head injury, even if it's just a fall or a slight collision, especially if the headache gets worse
  • Sudden, severe headache unlike any type of headache you have previously suffered from
  • Headaches worsen after days and change in properties, pain cycles.

Headaches caused by prolonged stress

If after days your pain worsens, you should go to the doctor immediately

4. Causes of chain headache (cluster headache)

The exact cause of cluster headache is not yet known, but cluster headache types show abnormalities in the body's biological clock (the lower hill area).

Unlike migraines and headaches caused by stress, cluster headaches are often not associated with stimulating factors, such as food, changes in hormones or stress.

However, when the cluster stage begins, if the person drinks alcohol, then it is possible to quickly cause headaches such as tonic hammers. For this reason, people with cluster headaches should avoid drinking alcohol during periods of cluster pain.

The agent that can provoke cluster headaches is the drug nitroglycerin, which is a drug used to treat heart disease.

5. Risk factors for headaches

Risk factors for cluster headache include:

  • Gender: Men are more likely to have cluster headaches than women.
  • Age: Most people with cluster headaches occur between the ages of 20 and 50, although this disease can develop at any age.
  • Smoking: Many people with cluster headaches have tobacco smoking. However, quit smoking usually will not have the effect of reducing headaches.
  • Alcohol use: If you have cluster headaches, drinking alcohol during cluster time may increase your risk of severe headaches.
  • Family history: Having a parent or sibling with cluster headaches increases your risk of the same condition.

6. Treatment of headaches

Antibiotics

Medications can be used to treat headaches

There is no complete cure for cluster headaches. The goal of treatment is to reduce the severity of the headache in batches, shorten the duration of headaches and prevent further episodes of pain. Since cluster headaches appear suddenly and can drop rapidly in a short time, cluster headaches are difficult to accurately assess and treat, so patients often need drugs that have a fast effect. Some emergency medications can help relieve pain quickly.

The treatments listed below have been shown to be most effective in the treatment of emergency and prevention of cluster headaches.

6.1 Drugs

Methods of treatment of attack:

  • Triptans: These drugs are one of the best ways to treat pain including Sumatriptan (Alsuma, Imitrex, Sumavel) or Zolmitriptan (Zomig)
  • Dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45)
  • Lidocaine: This is an analgesic, in the form of a nasal spray.

Breathe oxygen through the mask for 15 minutes.

Preventive medications can often prevent headaches before starting, the doctor may prescribe medications to shorten the duration of the cluster as well as alleviate the severity of headaches, including:

  • Corticosteroids, as prednison is used for a short time
  • Sodium (Depakene, Depakote)
  • Ergotamine tartrate (Cafergot, Ergomar)

6.2 Occipital Nerve Block

The doctor will inject a mixture of anesthesies and steroids into the occipital nerve located at the base of the skull, as this is usually the starting point for headaches. This is only a temporary treatment until other remedies are used effectively with the person.

6.3 Nerve stimulation

Some people who do not react to the drug may use the method:

  • Occipital nerve stimulation: The doctor will implant a device used to send electrical impulses to the occipital nerve at the base of the skull to prevent headaches.
  • Neuromodulation: Non-invasive devices including cefaly and gammaCore have been approved by the FDA for treatment of cluster headaches.

6.4 Lifestyle changes

  • Keep a regular sleep schedule.
  • Do not drink alcohol, wine, because these are all possible causes of headaches when you are in the cluster stage.

For direct advice, please click the HOTLINE number or register online HERE. In addition, you can register for remote consultation HERE

Reference source: webmd.com; mayoclinic.org

SEE MORE:

  • Are frequent headaches, nausea, dizziness dangerous?
  • What factors can trigger migraines
  • Migraines with a prolonged pulse: What to do?
SEE MORE:

  • What are the differences between migraine headaches and migraines?
  • What factors can trigger migraines
  • What to know about peripheral fasentinal disorders

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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