What is a cluster headache?
A cluster headache is a rare type of headache that occurs in groups, or clusters. Each episode causes sudden and intense pain that lasts around one to three hours on average. The frequency of cluster headache episodes ranges from a few times a week to a few times a day.
Cluster headache cases can last for weeks or months followed by extended periods of relief. Cases that occur between remission periods of three months or longer are also known as episodic cluster headaches.
The pain level tends to be consistent during each episode. Although cluster headache patterns can be predictable, pain can also occur suddenly and without warning and is often concentrated in one area of the head and face.
Cluster headaches are generally treatable and the pain from episodes can be reduced with the help of your doctor, but they can also significantly disrupt quality of life, and impact your ability to sleep, drive, work, eat, and more. Your doctor and care team can help you manage the symptoms, causes, and impact of this condition to minimize its pain and disruption.
Cluster headache symptoms
Some of the more common symptoms of cluster headaches include:
- Sudden, sharp pain on one side of the face and around the eye
- Pain that switches from one area of the head or face to another between clusters
- Excessive tearing and watery eyes
- Restlessness and fatigue
- Excessive forehead and facial sweating
- Nasal congestion
In cases where pain is located on one side of the face, that side may experience eye redness, skin discoloration, swelling, and drooping eyelids. These symptoms usually ease after the episode has passed but may change with each successive headache. Pain may also feel like it’s building up for the first 10 to 15 minutes of an episode.
Your doctor can help you address and manage specific symptoms directly if they occur more frequently or interfere with aspects of your daily life, such as your ability to work, drive, read, or sleep.
What causes a cluster headache?
There is currently no known cause of cluster headaches, but researchers believe that they’re related to dysfunction of the hypothalamus. This is the area of the brain that regulates the body’s internal clock. While there are no directly identifiable causes, there are several triggers and risk factors, such as:
- Alcohol consumption: Drinking alcohol during cluster attacks can increase the risk of another attack.
- Biological sex: People who were assigned male at birth are at greater risk than those who were assigned female.
- Age: Cluster headaches are most common between people 20 to 50 years of age.
- Smoking: Smokers are at higher risk for cluster headaches.
- Family history: Those who develop cluster headaches often have parents or siblings with the condition as well.
Other risk factors may include use of stimulants, eating foods that contain nitrates (bacon, cold cuts, hot dogs, etc.), frequent and prolonged exposure to bright light, and high elevation. The good news is that changing many of these factors may help reduce the length and frequency of attacks.