A study reveals that cluster headache sufferers are up to three times more likely to develop heart disease or mental issues.
These severe headaches often last between 15 minutes and three hours and occur many times per week.
They affect around one in 1,000 persons and can be an indication of blood vessel dilatation or edema. Individuals with the syndrome are more susceptible to mental and neurological diseases, as well as cardiovascular illness.
Cluster headaches may be connected with anomalies in the region of the brain responsible for creating serotonin, melatonin, and cortisol, the “stress hormone.”
Swedish scientists recruited 3,240 cluster headache patients ranging in age from 16 to 64 years old for the study.
They compared this cohort to 16,200 individuals with similar ages, gender, and other characteristics. Men, who are more prone to cluster headaches, comprised the bulk of subjects.
Ninety-two percent of cluster headache sufferers reported an additional disease. 52% of cluster headache sufferers had co-occurring nervous system disorders, compared to 15% of individuals without cluster headaches.
The musculoskeletal system accounted for the second-highest proportion of cluster headache patients with long-lasting pain and mobility issues, compared to only 24% of non-headache patients.
In both groups, diseases of the blood, immunological system, endocrine system, and metabolism, as well as pregnancy-related illnesses, were extremely uncommon.
Dr. Caroline Ran, the author of the study from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, stated, “Our results indicate that people with cluster headaches not only have an increased risk of other illnesses, but those with at least one additional illness missed four times as many days of work due to sickness and disability as those with only cluster headaches.”
Less than 80% of patients who do not suffer from cluster headaches had two or more other medical disorders that predominantly affected the neurological and musculoskeletal systems and caused persistent discomfort and limited movement.
The headaches were so bad that they caused double the amount of work absences.
Those with cluster headaches missed an average of 63 days of work, compared to 34 days for those without cluster headaches.
Dr. Ran emphasized the significance of expanding our knowledge of the additional disorders that affect cluster headache patients and how they impair their capacity to work.
This information can assist us to make treatment, preventive, and prognosis decisions.
The absence of personal information about individuals, such as their smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and body mass index, was a striking exception.
Scientists have identified smoking and alcohol intake as potential causes of cluster headaches, but the specific etiology of cluster headaches remains unknown.
Cluster headaches in the family might potentially exacerbate the issue.
Episodes typically range between five and fifteen minutes but can persist up to 180 minutes if left untreated. Attack episodes are significantly longer.
A normal attack cycle lasts between six and twelve weeks, whereas remissions can last up to a year. Numerous individuals suffer from one to two attack episodes per year.
The most effective therapies for acute migraine attacks are oxygen therapy and sumatriptan injections.
The hypertension medication Verapamil is useful for long-term prevention. In addition, the Food and Medication Administration has approved an injectable drug.
Migraines, which induce incapacitating headaches, nausea, blackouts, vomiting, and even paralysis, differ from cluster headaches.
Migraine sufferers encounter an average of thirteen attacks each year, typically occurring in clusters or brief episodes.
They are the sixth most prevalent cause of disability worldwide.
Migraines, like cluster headaches, are highly associated with depression and work absence.
