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Cluster headache in childhood: case series from a pediatric headache center

Rosanna Mariani1, Alessandro Capuano, Roberto Torriero

  • 11Headache Centre, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.

Journal of Child Neurology
|January 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Childhood cluster headache presents with severe unilateral orbital pain and autonomic symptoms in children. Steroids effectively reduced headache recurrence, while common pain relievers were largely ineffective.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Childhood-onset cluster headache is a rare but debilitating neurological disorder.
  • Characterized by severe unilateral orbital pain and autonomic symptoms, it significantly impacts quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the clinical characteristics of childhood-onset cluster headache.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of different treatments in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with cluster headache at a Headache Center.
  • Analysis of demographic data, clinical features, attack characteristics, and treatment responses.

Main Results:

  • Eleven children (6 males, 5 females) with a mean onset age of 10 years were identified.
  • All patients experienced episodic cluster headache with unilateral orbital pain, autonomic features (lacrimation, conjunctival injection, ptosis, rhinorrhea), and attacks lasting 30-180 minutes, 1-4 times daily.
  • Steroids demonstrated significant efficacy in preventing cluster headache recurrence, whereas acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and indomethacin showed limited effectiveness.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood-onset cluster headache shares clinical features with adult-onset forms.
  • Steroids represent a promising therapeutic option for managing recurrent cluster headaches in children.

Keywords:
autonomicautonomic featurescluster headachelacrimationpainptosisrhinorrhea

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