Description Severe headaches ch...
Description
Severe headaches characterized by pain on one side of the head, or around one eye. They often recur at the same time each day, and can last for several days or weeks, with weeks or months of remission. 90% of those affected are males. Some people who have cluster headaches are heavy smokers. Alcohol use, bright light, stress, or certain foods may trigger an attack.
Symptoms
Severe headache, pain around or behind the eye, nausea, vomiting, photophobia (light increases the pain), eye redness, eye tearing, runny nose (rhinorrhea), facial redness.
Tests
Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. Additional tests may include: CT scan or MRI to rule out other causes of headaches.
Tests:
CT Scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Pediatric Neurology
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. Additional tests may include: CT scan or MRI to rule out other causes of headaches.
Tests:
CT Scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Pediatric Neurology
Treatment
Avoidance of any headache triggers. Drugs to relieve the pain during an acute episode including: oxygen, triptan medications (such as sumatriptan or zolmitriptan), octreotide, intranasal lidocaine or an oral ergot medication (such as dihydroergotamine). Drugs to prevent recurrence of headaches include verapamil, glucocorticoids, lithium, topiramate, or methysergide.