Cluster pain

The most severe type of headache that can affect people of both sexes and almost all ages is cluster headache. The pain syndrome that occurs suddenly, against the background of general well-being, is characterized by pain of such intensity that people are ready to say goodbye to life, just to get rid of the painful sensations. Until now, the true causes that give rise to this type of pathology have not been identified, but there are a number of assumptions that allow, if not to rid a person of pain forever, then at least to reduce the degree of its manifestation.

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Causes of Cluster Pain

Cluster headaches are not common. Men are mostly prone to this type of headache. Experts have identified several causes that can provoke the appearance of cluster headaches. These causes include:

• hereditary predisposition. If one of your relatives suffered from cluster headaches, then the probability of passing on this disease by inheritance is very high;
• disorders in one of the parts of the brain, namely in the hypothalamus. What kind of disorders can cause attacks of cluster headache has not yet been identified;
• long-term alcohol consumption leading to changes in the blood vessels of the brain;
• frequent stressful situations;
• chronic fatigue with constant lack of sleep;
• working with gaseous toxic substances (mercury vapor, for example).

All the above reasons are only an assumption, one of the main factors in the occurrence of sharp headaches, called cluster or bunch headaches. It is still unknown in what dose harmful substances must enter the body, if we are talking about toxic vapors, for example, for the pathology to develop that causes severe headaches. Also unknown is the degree and nature of damage to the hypothalamus, which can lead to the development of cluster syndrome. As already mentioned above, cluster pain is not common, and this is associated with the difficulties of monitoring patients who do not always seek help and not immediately, trying for a long time to cope with the disease on their own, and identifying the root cause does not always lead to the desired results.

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Types and symptoms of cluster headache

All types of headaches have an international classification, according to which cluster headache has two forms of manifestation:

• episodic;
• chronic.

The distinctive features of these two forms are the presence of different lengths of remission periods. The duration of cluster headaches, in the episodic stage, is from one week to one year with a remission of about two weeks. Attacks of chronic cluster headaches may not contain a remission period at all, or its duration is less than two weeks. According to international statistics, the chronic form is much less common than the episodic form.

Sudden, sharply arising pain has a pronounced character. The duration of a pain attack can be limited to 10-15 minutes or last for an hour. Also, the pain suddenly disappears on its own and may not bother for quite a long time, from several months to several years, or it can happen after several days. This periodicity is the basis for the name "cluster pain", that is, occurring in periods. During an attack, the pain is so strong that people, maddened by the pain, are capable of suicidal acts in order to stop the excruciating sensations. This behavior is most typical for those who have already experienced such attacks more than once and are waiting with fear for the onset of the next period of pain.

Based on the available descriptions of symptoms, the following signs of the onset and development of a cluster attack can be identified:

• ear and nose congestion;
• pain inside the eye;
• redness of the eye, lacrimation;
• facial flushing and a feeling of puffiness;
• increased sweating;

All manifestations concern only one part of the face, it is very rare when the headache covers the entire face and spreads to the entire head. Cluster pains have a seasonality, so the most dangerous period is spring-autumn.

Burning, excruciating, pulsating pain forces the patient to be in constant motion, moving from one position to another, trying to find a comfortable position to ease the condition, clasping his head with his hands. Unrelenting pain causes aggression in a person, refusal to make contact, which makes it difficult to control such patients and communication becomes difficult.

The spread of the pain syndrome begins in one area, for example, in the eye area. Then it can capture the frontal and temporal areas with pain irradiating to the jaw. Attacks, as a rule, do not occur singularly, but 2-3 times a day, one of them certainly happens at night, causing a person to wake up abruptly and subsequent severe stress.

Diagnosis of cluster headaches

Cluster pain is diagnosed mainly through a doctor-patient conversation. The doctor only needs to obtain the following data:

• history preceding the onset of pain;
• localization of the main source of pain;
• duration of pain syndrome;
• nature of pain;
• frequency of occurrence.

From the description of all symptoms, the specialist can draw all the necessary conclusions. Additionally, MRI (magnetic resonance therapy) and CT (computer tomography of the brain) can be prescribed to identify concomitant diseases and possible complications.

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Treatment of cluster headaches

It is almost impossible to completely get rid of headaches, especially cluster headaches. Timely measures and properly structured treatment can significantly alleviate the situation and make the pain syndrome less pronounced. Treatment will depend on the severity of the pain syndrome and the frequency of its occurrence. It can be assumed that cluster pain will most likely be relieved by pain-relieving therapy, including:

• Ergotamine preparations – relieve headaches by reducing the tone of dilated arteries;
• "Lidocaine" nasal drops for acute pain;
• oxygen inhalations (high oxygen content in inhalations promotes vasoconstriction, which leads to pain relief);
• other painkillers in tablets, injections or inhalations (nasal sprays), depending on the individual characteristics of the body, the severity of the disease and other factors.

Definitely, it is absolutely not worth tolerating pain, even of a minor nature. It is necessary to remember that pain is a signal from the body that cannot be ignored or left unattended. Seek help from specialists, because it is much easier to prevent a disease than to treat it.

Prevention of cluster headache attacks

Until now, there are no special preventive measures aimed at preventing the occurrence of cluster pain. This is due to the lack of exact reasons for which cluster pain occurs. The only possible measures should be considered: the usual avoidance of alcohol abuse, eliminating stressful situations from your life and not allowing the body to become overtired.