Women May Have More Severe Cluster Headaches

A new study published in Neurology suggests women may have more severe cluster headaches than men. According to a survey of nearly 900 individuals diagnosed with these painful headaches, double the number of women compared with men reported chronic cluster headaches (18% in women vs. 9% in men), or cluster headache attacks that lasted a year or more without interruption. Overall, women also indicated that their headache attacks lasted longer than men and were more likely to report a family history of cluster headaches. 

“Cluster headache is still often misdiagnosed in women, perhaps because some aspects can be similar to migraine,” said study author Andrea C. Belin, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. “It is important for physicians to be aware of how the disorder manifests differently in men and women so the most effective treatment can be given as fast as possible.”
 
Participants in this study included individuals diagnosed with cluster headaches (n = 874; 66% men; 34% women) who answered a questionnaire about symptoms, medications, headache triggers, and lifestyle habits.
 
“While the ratio of men to women with cluster headache has been shifting over the years, it is still considered mainly a disorder of men, making it more difficult for women with milder symptoms to be diagnosed with cluster headache than men,” Belin said. “It’s possible this could contribute to the higher rate of chronic cluster headache in women.”