It is women who are most affected by cluster headaches, an annoying and sometimes debilitating condition. But what are the symptoms and causes?
Cluster headaches are one of the most devastating ailments that can affect a person. It is a painful and problematic state that can severely affect the quality of life, both in the short and long term. It is usually diagnosed with a physician’s clinical diagnosis and presents with severe throbbing pain , often located in the frontal, temporal, or occipital region of the head and neck. It can also vary over time: An attack usually begins abruptly and lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours before subsiding completely. In severe cases they can persist for up to two weeks and be extremely disabling.
The specific causes behind this disease are still unclear, however, they are also thought to have genetic components as well as environmental or psychological ones. Attacks can be triggered by factors such as exposure to smoke or alcohol, intense emotional stress, or high altitude. Women who suffer from cluster headaches can experience attacks that are much more painful and longer lasting than men . Cluster headaches can be an extremely debilitating experience, with chronic pain, nausea, and vision problems that can last for days or even weeks.
The symptoms are so severe that they can make daily activities difficult to cope with, such as working or commuting to work. For women with cluster headaches it can also be difficult to lead a normal social life as frequent attacks can leave them weak and exhausted. While the cause of cluster headaches isn’t clear, doctors believe that most cases are related to emotional distress . Furthermore, there is also a strong link between cluster headaches and female hormone fluctuations, which means that the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body can influence the frequency of attacks.
