Those who suffer cluster headaches may have non-painful warnings that the headaches are going to occur anywhere from several days to several weeks before their onset, according to a study done by researchers at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina.
Four patients in the study described various symptoms that preceded the onset of cluster headaches. The first patient’s symptoms were described as “eye discomfort,” a heightened state of anxiety, and a feeling of having “something inside my head.”
The second patient complained of eye discomfort that was aggravated by reading or noise. The third patient reported feeling numbness in the left temple about a week before the onset of the headaches. And the last patient described discomfort on the right side of the head.
Cluster headaches are similar to migraines and occur as often as two or three times a day over a period of weeks. They come on suddenly, and sufferers experience throbbing pain behind the nostril and one eye. The attacks rarely last longer than two hours, and it may be weeks or months in between attacks.
This study is important, said researchers, because it demonstrates that “changes occur in the nervous system that anticipate the autonomic (self-controlling) and painful manifestations.” Also, recognizing that warning symptoms can occur before the severe pain strikes is the first step in developing preventive treatment and a better understanding” of the cause of cluster headaches.