Understanding a Cluster Headache

Headaches are not an uncommon phenomenon. Many people experience headaches from time to time. Most are mild, temporary annoyances that are easily remedied, and often are simply a symptom of a larger issue such as a sinus infection. Some headaches (such as migraines) are more severe and often more consistent than your basic pains. However, the garden-variety headaches and even migraine headaches cannot even hold a candle to the pain and suffering of a cluster headache. The experience of a cluster headache has been compared by those suffering it to the feeling of having an amputation performed on them without the use of an anesthetic.
Needless to say, this is a condition that is debilitating to those who suffer from it. Often times the frequency of the headaches is quite a bit more trying on a person the pain of a cluster headache is. As the name suggests, these headaches occur in 'clusters.' These groups of headaches may last anywhere from a few days to a matter of weeks, and headaches may occur several times a day during these periods.
There are two types of this condition, which are distinctive due to the differences in the frequency of the attacks between the two types. In the first type, known as episodic headaches, is typically characterized by a 'cluster' of headaches that will last for days or weeks, followed by a period of remission in which the sufferer will not have headaches at all. These periods of remission may be as long as several years in length, and both begin and end suddenly and without warning. The second type is chronic cluster headaches. This form of the condition is characterized by very little if any period of remission between attacks. These clusters are a nearly constant fixture in the lives of those who suffer from the chronic form.
The exact cause of cluster headaches is unknown. There are a number of possible theories that are being investigated within the medical community, but they remain unproven. The condition is rare, and as such it is often difficult to obtain enough data on these headaches to make any significant analysis of the condition. What is known is that men are several times more likely to experience a cluster headache than women are, and that the majority of attacks occur at night, shortly after the sufferer has fallen asleep.
Distinct changes in a person's everyday life, most particularly their sleeping patterns, seem to be likely to bring on a cluster headache attack, indicating that a person's natural rhythm may be somehow responsible for a cluster headache. Again, the connection is unclear, but there is hope for breakthrough in future research. Until then, there are a few methods of treating a cluster headache. These treatments generally include two medications, one that prevents headaches, and one which eases the pain of attacks when they occur. Taken together, these drugs are usually effective in bringing the condition down to levels that a person can handle, but they are most certainly not a cure.
Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.