From: Release of PACAP-38 in episodic cluster headache patients – an exploratory study
Questionnaire | Mean values and features of ECH patients (n = 9) |
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Body mass index: | 28.5 ± 5.6 |
Duration of cluster headache disease: | 7.0 ± 3.8 years |
Frequency of cluster episodes and duration of cluster episode: | 2.9 ± 0.8 attack episodes/year |
5.0 ± 3.1 weeks | |
Sessions and seasonality of headache episodes: | in the evenings/at nights (n = 4), at dawns (n = 3) and daytime (n = 2) |
in spring and summer (n = 4), in changing seasons (n = 4), in winter (n = 1) | |
Intensity and characteristic of pain: | very strong (n = 6) and severe (n = 3) |
splitting/throbbing (n = 5), sharp/stabbing (n = 4) headache | |
Localization and side of pain: | orbital, supra/periorbital, temporal |
right (n = 6) and left (n = 3) side | |
Accompanying symptoms: | conjunctival injection, lacrimation, ptosis and eyelid edema, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, vasodilation, facial redness and flushing |
Lifestyle habits: | non (n = 4), medium (n = 2) and excessive (n = 3) smokers, moderate caffeine consumers (n = 9) |
Most commonly used treatments of ECH patients in the bout periods: | O2 therapy, sumatriptan, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. indomethacin and diclophenac) |
Previous attack episode before the inter-bout blood sampling: | 2.8 ± 1.0 months |
Beginning of the attack episode during the ictal blood sampling: | 6.4 ± 4.6 days |
Duration of headache attack until the ictal sampling: | 2.3 ± 0.6 h |
Headache attack frequency per day in a bout and duration of headache attack: | 1.2 ± 0.7 headache attack/day in a bout |
2.3 ± 0.7 h |