Quick Comparison Table
You should see your doctor for any type of severe, persistent and/or recurring
headache as the pain be be a symptom of an underlying serious problem.
Use this table for a quick evaluation of your symptoms and which headache classification they may fall into.
| Feature | Cluster Headache | Paroxysmal Hemicrania |
Migraine Headache | Tension Headache |
| Patient gender | Usually male | Usually female | Usually female | Equally male/female |
| Age at onset | 20 to 40 years old | 20 to 50 years old | 10 to 40 years old | Any age |
| Frequency of attacks | 1 every other day to 8/day | 5 to 40/day | 1 to 8/month | Almost daily |
| Duration of attacks |
15 min. to 3 hrs. | 2 to 30 min. | 4 to 72 hrs. | 30 min. to 7 days |
| Intensity of pain |
Excruciating boring, burning, stabbing | Severe stabbing, boring | Mild to severe throbbing |
Mild to moderate steady ache |
| Location of pain |
Strictly unilateral | Unilateral | Unilateral or bilateral |
Bilateral |
| Nasal Congestion |
70% | 70% | None | None |
| Droopy, teary eye |
Common | Common | Uncommon | Uncommon |
| Incidence of associated nausea and vomiting | Rare | Rare | Common | Rare |
| Incidence of attacks awakening patient from sleep | Common | Common | Rare | Rare |
| Characteristic behavior | Patient cannot remain still during severe attack | Difficult to remain still - movement can 'trigger' attacks | Patient prefers hibernation | Patient prefers hibernation |
| Family history | 5% | unknown | 90% | Associated with stress |
| Treatment | See your doctor. Melatonin, Verapamil, Topomax, Lithium, Oxygen, Sumitriptan | See your doctor. Very responsive to Indomethacin | See your doctor. Strong Analgesics, Amitriptyline, Verapamil, Depakote, Ergots, Triptans | See your doctor. Stress management techniques, OTC analgesics, lifestyle changes |
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Original Table provided by Dave (drummer) Greenly, updated using the following sources: IHS International Classification of Headache Disorders 2nd Edition; National Institutes of Health; American Council for Headache Education; Institute of Neurology, London, www.clusterheadaches.com |
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Page Last Updated: 06/16/2005