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In: Women & Children

This paper reviews the diagnostic features of cluster headache-like disorder and describes its presentation in childhood. Case note summaries of patients with this condition are presented in the context of a brief summary of the literature. Four patients (two girls; aged 12 to 15 years) with cluster headache-like disorder were seen over a period of four years in the paediatric neurology department of Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Read More →

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In: Corticosteroids

Bouts of cluster headache may be resistant to all the drugs usually effective, such as typical migraine preventing drugs, lithium, carbamazepine, valproate, and corticosteroids. Corticosteroids have been commonly used in cycles of 10–15 intravenous daily infusions of 50–100 mg prednisone. During a severe bout in a patient resistant to all treatments, we have tried high dose (500 to 1000 mg/day intravenously) methylprednisolone administration: single doses were found to be effective in blocking headache attacks for several days.Read More →

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In: Triptans

Attacks of cluster headache are difficult to treat. Sumatriptan, an agonist of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine1—like receptors, has proved effective in the treatment of migraine. The clinical similarities between migraine and cluster headache and positive results from an open pilot study in patients with cluster headache indicated that sumatriptan should be evaluated more rigorously in the treatment of this condition.Read More →

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In: Pathophysiology

It has been suggested that histamine plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cluster headache. In addition, both neurogenic and vascular components have been described during cluster headache attacks without an obvious anatomical link between them. Our ultrastructural observations of human temporal arteries from cluster headache patients and their comparison to those from a control group strongly suggest that mast cells may be this link.Read More →