Cluster headache

What it means

A type of headache characterized by repeated attacks of unilateral pain lasting 15 to 180 minutes and associated with local autonomic signs.

According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II), the diagnosis of cluster headache can be made with at least five attacks fulfilling criteria B-D: (B) Severe or very severe unilateral orbital, supraorbital and/or temporal pain lasting 15-180 minutes if untreated. (C) Headache is accompanied by at least 1 of the following: (i) Ipsilateral conjunctival injection and/or lacrimation. (ii) Ipsilateral nasal congestion and/or rhinorrhea. (iii) Ipsilateral eyelid edema. (iv) Ipsilateral forehead and facial sweating. (v) Ipsilateral miosis and/or ptosis. (vi) A sense of restlessness or agitation. (D) Attacks have a frequency from 1 every other day to 8/day. Additionally, the headaches cannot attributed to another disorder.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions, and Orphanet separately records 1 disease where this sign is specifically absent. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category