Cluster headache

Description:

Cluster headaches — sharply expressed pain syndrome in areas of a projection of a brain to cranium walls arising spontaneously and not regularly. Force of pain is so big that can lead to suicide attempts with the purpose to get rid of pain.

Symptoms of the Cluster headache:

  1. Headaches began to develop after the puberty period — between the 20th and 50 years and, most likely, about 30 years.
  2. The headache has no the preceding period or any signs warning about its approach.
  3. Attacks, very painful, but short on duration, go one by one several days, weeks or even months in a row. The person most often tests from 1st to 3 attacks a day though there can be a series from 10 attacks of a headache per day.
  4. During the cluster period the headache develops at the same time days daily.
  5. Upon completion of a series of headaches the period without them up to 3 years follows.
  6. The ratio of the men and women suffering from this type of a headache makes about 6:1. For women the headache has no communication with a menstrual cycle.
  7. Usually sick — the only person in your family suffering from this type of a headache.
  8. Pain is localized only on one side of the head, is the most severe around one of eyes, but painful feelings can extend to a forehead, a temple or a cheek. In most cases pain is felt on the same side of a face. Only approximately at 15% of patients it changed the parties.
  9. The headache often awakes patients with night. During lasting several days of a series of attacks headaches develop with an accuracy similar to operation of the clockwork, at the same time every night. Eyes water. The nose is bunged up.
  10. The person can redden from rush of blood to it; the forehead can sweat.
  11. The eyelid on the struck side of the head falls and can look swelled.
  12. An eye is often poured by blood.
  13. The pupil is temporarily narrowed, and sight can be indistinct.
  14. Heart rate increases (tachycardia).
  15. The seasonal regularity in emergence of headaches which can prevail in the spring and in the fall is possible.
  16. Alcohol intake during the period of headaches can cause pain.

The cluster headache clinically differs from migraine and should not mix up with any other type of a headache.
At a research of cluster headaches doctors found unusual similar lines of the patients suffering from them. Observations have specific character, and their value the medical science cannot still explain. In 1972 the scientist by the name of Greyam confirmed in the work that the majority of suffering — big brawny men. They are higher than average height. Often have a strong, strong body and outward which is described how "similar to a lion". These men usually possess a square jaw and the doubled chin. Skin is rough, similar to an orange peel. The forehead is often covered with deep wrinkles. Even color of eyes at them is similar: light blue or light green eyes have the majority. Perhaps, the most amazing similarity — that 94% having cluster headaches smoke cigarettes. Moreover, they smoke much, smoking about 32 cigarettes a day. The majority smokes 2-3 packs daily. Often they begin to smoke at teenage or youthful age. They also have a tendency to abuse alcohol. Nevertheless, these similar lines are only observations. It is unknown why people with such physical characteristics and habits are more susceptible to cluster headaches. Communication between these lines and headaches remains in the basis not clear, however doctors sometimes use these characteristics at diagnosis having cluster headaches. Also not clearly, why alcohol intake causes pain during the period of cluster headaches, and after its termination does not exert noticeable impact on emergence of a headache.

Reasons of the Cluster headache:

The cluster headache is cyclic frustration. All facts which are available now show that this syndrome is connected with a biological clock  of the person. The theory of a biological clock partially arose because of the cyclic nature of these headaches and that fact that they often appear at the same time days during a cycle.

Biological clock of the person regulates enzymatic activity, body temperature, hormonal secretion, and also other physiological reactions. At patients with a cluster headache the organism, apparently, experiences some difficulties with management of these natural rhythms. The hypothalamus managing a dream and wakefulness probably lies in a root of this riddle. It can send impulses to the central nervous system, circulatory system, forcing blood vessels to extend. But, as believe, this expansion of blood vessels is a consequence, but not the reason of this disease. Level of content of serotonin can be one more influencing factor; this chemical of a brain together with a histamine regulates a biological clock, and is anatomically connected with an eye. The maintenance of a histamine can also be the reason of this problem. The histamine is the vasoactive substance which is first of all in a hypothalamus, expanding blood vessels. Scientists found out that the injection (introduction) of a small amount of a histamine to patients causes a headache. On this fact refer as to the proof of communication between a histamine and a headache. Many patients report that they wake up at night because of cluster headaches. Scientists established that approximately in half of cases this awakening is the share of a REM sleep phase, or as it is called still, a phase of the bystry movement of an eye. The reason of these phenomena is insufficiently studied. Alcohol, being a vasodilating factor, can provoke headaches during a cluster cycle. Patients are warned about a contraindication to alcohol intake during the periods of cluster headaches.

Treatment of the Cluster headache:

As attacks are, as a rule, short-term, cluster headaches will difficult respond to treatment. Breath is used by oxygen (through a mask). Sometimes pains are killed by intensive physical exercises. Also the disease is treated using strong means, but only under observation of the doctor, at the same time somatostatin, ergotamine, lidocaine ("a drop in a nose") are applied.

In 2007 the American scientists conducted a research using a psilocybin in which amazing results were received. About 50% of patients or completely ceased to be pursued by this illness, or received considerable weakening of attacks. However this research did not conform to all requirements of evidential medicine, and selection of a research is too small for the adequate statistical analysis owing to what it demands additional researches to speak about reliable effect of drug still early and proofs of efficiency of its use. In the middle of the 20th century in scientific publications it was also reported about amazing results when using natural natural derivatives of a triptamin. Because the studied substance (psilocybin) almost everywhere belongs to the prohibited substances, it is not possible to organize large-scale researches.