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Hypnic headache.

Raffaele Manni1, Natascia Ghiotto

  • 1Sleep Medicine and Epilepsy Unit, IRCCS "C. Mondino Institute of Neurology" Foundation, Pavia, Italy. raffaele.manni@mondino.it

Handbook of Clinical Neurology
|September 7, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Hypnic headache, or alarm-clock headache, is a rare sleep-related headache syndrome. It typically affects older adults and requires ruling out secondary causes.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Headache Disorders

Background:

  • Hypnic headache (HH), also known as alarm-clock headache, is a distinct sleep-related headache syndrome.
  • Characterized by late-onset and chronic occurrence, HH exclusively happens during sleep.
  • Key features include occurring only during sleep, frequent attacks (≥15/month), short duration, dull pain, and lack of autonomic symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the key characteristics and diagnostic considerations of hypnic headache.
  • To highlight the importance of differentiating primary HH from secondary nocturnal headaches.
  • To review the diagnostic criteria and associated conditions of HH.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and diagnostic criteria for hypnic headache.
  • Analysis of the defining features of HH, including onset, frequency, duration, and pain characteristics.
  • Discussion of differential diagnoses for nocturnal headaches.

Main Results:

  • Hypnic headache typically presents in older individuals with a chronic pattern.
  • Diagnostic criteria (ICHD-II) focus on sleep-exclusive occurrence, frequency, and duration, acknowledging pain variability.
  • It is crucial to exclude secondary causes like increased intracranial pressure, hypertension, sleep apnea, or medication overuse.

Conclusions:

  • Hypnic headache is a primary headache disorder with specific sleep-related features.
  • Late-onset necessitates a thorough investigation to rule out serious underlying conditions.
  • Co-occurrence with other primary headache types is reported in approximately 40% of patients.