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Chronic cluster headache: a review
Irene Favier1, Joost Haan, Michel D Ferrari
1Department of Neurology, K5-Q Leiden University Medical Centre, 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
Insights
Cluster headache (CH) is a severe disorder with debilitating attacks. This review focuses on chronic cluster headache, exploring its demographics, clinical features, and risk factors, highlighting knowledge gaps in chronification.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Headache Medicine
Background:
- Cluster headache (CH) is a rare, severe neurological disorder.
- Characterized by unilateral head pain and autonomic features.
- Distinguished into episodic and chronic forms based on pain-free intervals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the chronic forms of cluster headache.
- To focus on demographics, clinical manifestations, social habits, and predictive factors.
- To explore the roles of head injury, genetics, and neuroimaging in chronic CH.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of chronic cluster headache.
- Analysis of data on demographics, clinical presentation, and social habits.
- Examination of genetic, neuroimaging, and therapeutic aspects.
Main Results:
- Chronic CH occurs in a minority of patients, with primary and secondary forms.
- Episodic CH arising from chronic CH is the rarest form.
- Limited understanding exists regarding risk factors for CH chronification.
Conclusions:
- Chronic cluster headache presents unique challenges in diagnosis and management.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the risk factors contributing to CH chronification.
- Comprehensive understanding of chronic CH requires investigation into various contributing factors.
Abstract:
Cluster headache (CH) is a rare but severe headache disorder characterised by repeated unilateral head pain attacks accompanied by ipsilateral autonomic features. In episodic CH, there are periods of headache attacks with pain-free intervals of weeks, months or years in between. A minority of patients have the chronic form, without pain-free intervals between the headache attacks. Chronic CH can occur as primary or secondary chronic CH; the rarest form is episodic CH arising from chronic CH. In this article, we give a review of the chronic forms of CH and focus on demographics, clinical manifestations, social habits, predictive factors, head injury, genetics, neuroimaging and therapy. It is remarkable that little is known about risk factors that make CH chronic.
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