Clinical Features and Pain Characteristics of Cluster Headache

Abstract

Objective: Trigeminal autonomic headaches are the primary headache group that occurs with autonomic stimulation of the cranial nerves. The most common type of this group is cluster headache (CH). This study aimed to report the clinical features and pain characteristics of patients with CH. Materials and Methods: Patients of the outpatient headache center between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of CH and a minimum of 1-year follow-up. Records were reviewed using the International Headache Classification-3 beta. The sociodemographic characteristics of patients, types of pain, pain characteristics, and treatments that were used were documented. Clinical features were compared with sociodemographic characteristics and factors that could affect the pain features. Results: The mean age of 32 patients (25 male and 7 female) was 41.8 (23-68) years, and the mean age at disease onset was 31.7 (15-65) years. Lacrimation followed by conjunctival injection were the most common autonomic findings. According to gender, no statistical significance was found between pain character (p=0.166), painful side (p=0.572), month of onset (p=0.562), accompanying autonomic findings (p=0.495), pain duration (p=0.650), pain occurrence time during the day (p=0.394), and localization (Retroorbital/orbital, p=0.602; temporal, p=0.650; and forehead p=0.394). Nine patients had migraine-like features (MLF). The pain duration of patients with MLF was found to be 1.14 +/- 0.6 months and this period was longer than the results of other patients. No statistically significant difference was found between pain characteristics. Conclusion: The delay in diagnosis due to MLF that may accompany shows the importance of increasing awareness in the definition of CH.