Headache is a general problem of people around the world. The attack can occur in every age, every opportunity and both sex. To diagnose and treatment of headache, the physicians have to know the cause and characteristic of each type headache.

Migraine and cluster headache are the severe head pain. The basic physiology of migraine and cluster headache involve with the dysfunction of trigemino vascular system cause vasodilation (enlargement of blood vessel) and neurologic inflammation. But migraine is afflicted more than cluster headache. However many patients can suffer from mixed both type.

In general symptoms of migraine are attack lasting 4-72 hours, nausea and/or vomiting, most commonly unilateral (one sided) location, aggravated by causing avoidance for routine physical activities such as walking, running, sensitive to the light and may have aura(visual) before head pain.

Do you know the difference of migraine and cluster headache?

1. Sex

Male and female are afflicted with both type headaches. In migraine headache, Female afflicted than male but the occurrence of cluster headache, male afflicted than female.

2. Duration of headache

The periodicity of the headache may implicate hypothalamic dysfunction but migraine has longer duration of head than cluster. The attack time in migraine is 4 – 72 hours and in cluster headache is 20 min – 3 hours.

3. Frequent of attacks

Cluster attacks more frequently than migraine. Cluster headache attacks every 1-3 day, although migraine attacks to the patients every 1-8 month.

4. Occurrence of attacks

The period time of attack in cluster headache is about 2 weeks – 2 month but migraine headache occurs 2-8 times a month.

5. Lacrimation (tear drop)

The clinical symptom presentations of pain around the eyes cause lacrimation. It is found frequent in cluster headache but migraine is found less than cluster headache.

6. Blurred vision

The patient may have blurred vision from both headaches but migraine is found more often than cluster headache

7. Nausea/Vomiting

About 85% chance of nausea and vomiting present in migraine headache, although 2-5% chance of the symptoms are found in cluster headache.

Treatment

The goal of treatment include: pain relief, reducing the frequency of attack and prophylactic the recurrent.
Normally, treatment with medication and evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic is the first guideline. Other treatment is without medicine by improvement the quality life and reducing the stress that trigger to migraine.

Conclusion

Not only migraine and cluster headache are the problems of head pain but the other headaches may cause from serious and life threatening condition such as brain tumor, sinus meningitis or stroke. So if you have signs and symptoms of headache you should go to see the physician.

By: Navivar Athi

About the Author:

RiffRaffEsq asked:

I turned on my webcam during a mild cluster attack to show what a low level attack is. This is still unbearable and unlike any oth I turned on my webcam during a mild cluster attack to show what a low level attack is. This is still unbearable and unlike any other pain I have personnaly felt. They last 20 minutes for up to 2 hours, and can happen 2-12 times a day, hence the name Cluster Headaches. I am chronic, so I rarely ever get breaks. This is no typical migraine or stress headache. It is like someone ripping a hook through your eye and coming out of the temple while someone is trying to lift you up by it. The pressure in the head is extraordinary, and the pain very exquisite. Painkillers won’t touch them, only triptans and oxygen help to abort. I’m not sure I could video myself in an attack Kip 8 or above.

ZeroG001 asked:


Lately ive been getting a shooting pain on the side of me head and I don’t know whats causing it. i’m not experiencing any symptoms like nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, its just a sharp pain. Is that what a cluster headache feels like? I don’t want to know what causes it, just how it feels. I think my problem could be my eye. I feel alot better when I have it closed. im starting to consider getting an eyepatch. yarr.

sallyj123 asked:


I posted last week saying my husband has been diagnosed with cluster headaches, we are now 5 weeks into this and its still going on, I despair with this he has gone from being a man who was in really good job confident and strong to a wreck he has lost weight can’t do anything, and relies on oxygen to get through each day. I feel sad and helpless as I am losing the man I married. is there any hope out there if so please give it to me.

It is inevitable that we sometimes suffer from headaches due to stress, hormones and anxiety. But there is one type of headache that is rare and very painful. This type of headache is called cluster headache and it can start suddenly without any previous symptoms. The pain you will experience will usually start behind one eye but the whole side of your face will become red and swollen.

Cluster headaches are quite frightening to both the person who is suffering and his family because it can occur without even the slightest provocation. You should note though that a cluster headache generally lasts for a few minutes in most cases although some people may suffer from cluster headaches for several hours in severe cases. There is a pattern you should expect when you experience having cluster headaches because it usually occurs on the same time of the day for several weeks. Then the headaches can stop altogether but it can come back after several months.

Right now, there is no sufficient proof that cluster headaches are in any way associated with any other types of diseases. Many believe the cluster headaches are hereditary but poor lifestyle habits can also cause the cluster headaches in some cases. Likewise, it is also observed that heavy smoking, inconsistent sleeping pattern and strong medications can worsen the symptoms of cluster headaches.

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish cluster headaches from other types of headaches because many of the symptoms are similar. But giving an accurate description of the symptoms you are experiencing to your doctor can help him make the correct diagnosis. Recording the pattern of your headaches is very important because cluster headaches occur with a constant pattern everyday. Letting your family members and relatives have a talk with the doctor about your behavior when headaches occur is also essential to be able to distinguish the type of headache you are experiencing.

In addition, some people are embarrassed about some of the actions they do when cluster headaches occur because they sometimes hit their head against the wall or the furniture to relieve the pain. These actions are actually quite common to people who suffers from cluster headaches because the pain they feel is very acute and severe. You should not hide these facts from your doctor so that he will be able to give you the correct medication through judging the severity of your headaches.

If you are diagnosed with cluster headaches, you should expect to take two medicines. One medicine is to reduce the number of headaches you experience during the cluster period and the other medicine is used to relieve the symptoms of the cluster headache. You should note though that medications that are ingested usually take a long time to work. For this reason, your doctor will most likely prescribe a medicine that can be inhaled or injected into the body for the medications to work immediately. Cluster headaches are one of the most painful headaches you will ever experience but with the right treatment and the right attitude, cluster headaches can be prevented in the future.

By: Michael Russell

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angela R asked:


I start PMSing a few days before my period…..The symptoms are lack of sleep…..But the worse symptom I get are the cluster headaches….I will get a cluster headache for TWO days….It is so strong I have to remain in bed for the duration….No aspirin or painkillers will take it away……I **** it and I am not sure what I need to do to avoid these headaches…..Anyone suggestions? Thanks

DesignAfficiando asked:


I don’t have sensitivity to light, dizziness, or nausea like most people experience. It is painful but I can still function. I do grab my head when it happens. It’s always on one side, always above the ear. There are very sharp pains. I even feel it on my actual earlobe.

It doesn’t fit the criteria for a cluster headache because that involves the area above the eye having pain, and the eye appearing red and swollen.

Sinus headaches involve pain in the front of the head; the forehead and/or face. I know I’ve had plenty of those.

MigraineClinic asked:

Brought to you by The City of London Migraine Clinic. For more information please visit: www.migraineclinic.org.uk More information available at Twitter: www.twitter.com Wikipedia article: bit.ly Facebook page: tinyurl.com Video produced by www.new-you.tv

ClusterHeadSurvivor asked:

This is me, an actual Cluster Headache Attack. I put this video on to educate, not get pitty. For people to realize and understand what us Cluster Headache people go through. Iam chronic. Have had these 3.5 years without one day relief. I suffer 3 to 15 times per day lasting 30 min to 3 hours long. Some severe, some not. Please share this video with someone who doesnt understand what we go through. Perhaps it will educate some. I wake up smiling each day and love my son and he is the reason …

lovegirl20 asked:


I recently went to the doctor because I get a stabbing feeling in the back of my head a lot. Sometimes it lasts 15 minutes other times it lasts hours. I never get a fever but I do get lightheaded and very dizzy to the point that I cant see very straight. I get these headaches normally early in the afternoon (by 3pm im feeling it a little) and it becomes worse if I stay on the computer too long. The doctor told me I have cluster headaches but the problem is I have never had a migrane and i am 99.9% certain that what I have is not a migrane and I’ve been told that cluster headaches are worse than a migrane so I am beginning to question my doctors theory. Im not sure what is wrong with me but it is rather annoying. I become very dizzy and cant see straight at times and get sharp pains in my head. Have been feeling this way for about a month. What do you think can be wrong?