Cluster headache is also known as the disease for young men. Usually, it first appears around the age 20 and attacks on certain times of the year. These attacks, mostly happening in mid-seasons, last for 15-45 days and cause pain for 20-45 minutes each day during an attack. While in most cases there is only one attack per day, this number may go up to 8. But between attack phases, comes a long phase of silence.
It is not wrong to say that cluster headache is the most severe pain in the world. Patients describe it as a constant stabbing on temples, or like someone scratching their eyes out or branding them or scratching them with an ice wedge, or as if their eyes are about to pop etc. It is so severe that patients hit their heads to the walls or may even run amuck. Because of this, cluster headache is also known as “suicide headache”.
This pain, beginning and ending abruptly, is usually around the eyes and temples. The eye on the relevant side gets red, waters, shrinks and the eyelid may droop. Also, the nostril on that side may get stuffy. The affected area gets very sensitive and may hurt like a wound or a bruise.
Nausea and vomiting are rare in cluster headache cases but sweating is present in almost all of them. It is even so excessive that one might think that a glass of water was poured down on the patient. The sweating may affect only the hurting side of the face. Also hot flashes, distress, palpitation, stenocardia and high blood pressure may be observed.
These patients are extremely restless; they cannot sleep, they scream, cry, and wander around all the time. They also open the windows, go out to the balcony or go outside. Some put ice on their head for comfort while some pour boiling water.
Cluster headache is usually confused with migraine but the distinctive characteristics of cluster headache such as being periodic, occurring at certain hours of the day and having a rhythm, may help distinguishing one from one.