BMJ Best Practice Podcast Cluster headache: an update on diagnosis and management
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Mar 13, 2023 AI Snips
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Unique Clinical Profile And Periodicity
- Cluster headache attacks are extremely severe, strictly one-sided, and last 15–180 minutes with multiple attacks per day.
- They commonly occur in cycles (about eight weeks) with circadian and seasonal periodicity.
Diagnose By Key Clinical Questions
- Diagnose cluster headache clinically by asking about attack duration (<4 hours), side-locked pain, autonomic signs, and restlessness.
- Look for attacks around the eye/first trigeminal distribution and for nocturnal timing a few hours after sleep onset.
Risk Links To Smoking And Sleep Apnea
- Cluster headache shows male predominance (≈2–3:1) and strong associations with smoking and sleep apnea.
- Passive smoke exposure and high comorbidity with sleep-disordered breathing can support the diagnosis.