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Cluster Headaches
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Related terms:
SUNCT syndrome
paroxysmal hemicrania
Disease or Syndrome
cluster headache Audio
clus·ter head·ache
Subclass of:
Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias
Definitions related to cluster headache:
  • A headache disorder that is characterized by periodic severe, unilateral orbital, supraorbital, and/or temporal pain, and is associated with ipsilateral cranial autonomic symptoms.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A primary headache disorder that is characterized by severe, strictly unilateral PAIN which is orbital, supraorbital, temporal or in any combination of these sites, lasting 15-180 min. occurring 1 to 8 times a day. The attacks are associated with one or more of the following, all of which are ipsilateral: conjunctival injection, lacrimation, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, facial SWEATING, eyelid EDEMA, and miosis. (International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd ed. Cephalalgia 2004: suppl 1)
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • A short-lived, extremely painful headache that occurs repeatedly over a period of a few weeks or months and then disappears for months or years.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A type of headache characterized by repeated attacks of unilateral pain lasting 15 to 180 minutes and associated with local autonomic signs.
    Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO)
    The Human Phenotype Ontology Project, 2021
  • Cluster headaches cause excruciating, unilateral periorbital or temporal pain, with ipsilateral autonomic symptoms (ptosis, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion). Diagnosis is clinical. Acute treatment is with parenteral triptans, dihydroergotamine, or oxygen. Prevention is with verapamil, lithium, topiramate, divalproex,...
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
  • Cluster headache (CH), also known as histamine headache, is a primary neurovascular primary headache disorder, the pathophysiology and etiology of which are not well understood. As the name suggests, CH involves a grouping of headaches, usually over a period of several weeks.
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2019
  • Cluster headaches, which occur in cyclical patterns or cluster periods, are one of the most painful types of headache. A cluster headache commonly awakens you in the middle of the night with intense pain in or around one eye on one side of your head.
    Mayo Clinic
    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
  • Cluster headaches are a form of headache notable for their extreme pain and their pattern of occurring in "clusters", usually at the same time(s) of the day for several weeks. The headaches are accompanied by autonomic symptoms, and some people experience restlessness and agitation. A cluster headache begins with severe pain strictly on...
    NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • Cluster headache is considered one of the most painful conditions known to humanity. The clinical picture consists of unilateral headache attacks lasting 15 to 180 minutes, associated with autonomic symptoms secondary to parasympathetic hyperactivity and sympathetic hypoactivity. Some patients will develop chronic cluster headache and...
    Epocrates
    Athenahealth, Inc., 2019
  • Cluster headache, Vascular headache that recurs in clusters. Cluster headaches, which occur predominantly in men, last less than two hours but are intensely painful and recur several times a day for weeks to months. Attacks begin suddenly, often during sleep, with pain seeming to penetrate into the...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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