The cluster headache constitutes separate condition and it is not the same with migraine. Cluster headache and migraine are both primary headache disorders. This means that the symptoms they cause are a result of the headache condition itself, rather than another underlying problem. Some of the symptoms of cluster headache and migraine overlap, so very often we confuse the two situations.
What is the difference between migraine and cluster headache?
Cluster headache it is much rarer than migraine alone one in 1,000 people he experiences it. Meanwhile, we know that the migraine is very common and affects one in seven people.
The cluster headache tends to start at age 30 to 40 years, although it can affect people of any age. THE migraine can also start at any age, but many people experience their first intercourse during adolescence.
The migraine is more common in women than in men, whereas the opposite applies to her cluster headache.
Symptoms
Both migraine and cluster headache can cause a severe headache. However, the nature of these headaches is quite different. The migraine headache tends to be one throbbing pain which often occurs on one side of the head. In cluster headache it also occurs on one side of the head, but the pain tends to be focused around or behind one eye.
As anyone who has experienced it knows migraine, headache is not the only symptom – other migraine symptoms include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sounds and smells, changes in vision, hearing or even speech.
An attack cluster headache, on the other hand, it comes with its own spectrum of symptoms. These include a very severe headache, located around one eye and radiating to the rest of the head, neck and sometimes the shoulder. The affected eye becomes red, watery, swollen. Drooping of the eyelid may still occur. There will also be a sweaty forehead and a stuffy or runny nose. A basic characteristic of cumulative capital is the sudden onset. The pain starts suddenly and goes away in the same way without leaving specific symptoms usually.
Some people with migraine may experience temporary weakness on one side of their body, particularly if they have hemiplegic migraine. Nausea and sensitivity to light may also occur during cluster headache although this is rarely seen. To this day, the medical community does not know of any official cause which causes the cluster headache. There are indications, however, that a certain part of the brain, the hypothalamus, plays an important role in its creation.
As we found out, cluster headache has some common features with migraine. However, its clinical picture is quite clear. It occurs at characteristic periods of time (e.g. for a period of weeks or days), thereby acquiring cumulative nature. It usually lasts from 15 minutes – 3 hours, while it is repeated many times during the same time of day. The diagnosis of cluster headache is based on the clinical history described by the patient as well as on the symptoms noted by the neurologist during the neurological examination. Its treatment is possible in most patients with the administration of the appropriate drugs in the required doses. If you also suspect that you suffer from cluster headache, contact your neurologist.
