Headaches: Cluster - Prognosis

Prognosis

The pain of cluster headaches can be intolerable. In fact, a higher-than-average rate of suicide has been reported in men with these headaches. Eventually, as people age, the attacks cease, but doctors cannot predict when or how they will end.

Effects on Mental and Emotional Functioning

Anxiety and depression are common among people with cluster headaches, which can affect functioning and quality of life.

Auras and Medical Risks

About 14% of patients with cluster headaches have migraine-like aura. Recent research suggests that headaches that are accompanied by aura may increase the risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). TIA symptoms are similar to those of stroke, but last only briefly. A TIA is often a warning sign that a person is at risk for having a more severe stroke. Headaches with auras may also increase the risk for eye retinal damage (retinopathy). Aura-related headaches may affect the small blood vessels in the brain and the eyes, thereby increasing the risks for stroke and retinopathy.

Review Date: 09/29/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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