The medical history (history of illness) is an important component in the diagnosis of cluster headache.
Family history
Social history
- What is your occupation?
- Is there any evidence of psychosocial stress or strain due to your family situation?
- Do you travel much?
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- Do you experience headaches on one side of the head or both sides?
- How severe is the headache?
- Does the pain radiate?
- How long does the headache last and how often does it occur during the day?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is very mild and 10 is very severe, how severe is the pain?
- Do you feel a strong urge to move during headache attacks?
- Do you have the following accompanying symptoms during the attacks such as:
- Reddened or watery eye
- Swelling of the eyelid
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Sweating in the area of the forehead and face
- Miosis (constricted pupil)
- Ptosis (drooping eyelid)
- How long have the headache attacks been present?
- Have you been able to identify any triggering factors (alcohol consumption; high altitudes; stress; weather change; time zone shift) for your headaches?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is very mild and 10 is very severe, how severe is the pain?
Vegetative history including nutritional history.
- Do you suffer from sleep disorders?
- Do you drink alcohol? If so, what drink(s) and how many glasses per day?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Pre-existing conditions (neurological diseases)
- Operations
- Allergies
- Environmental history (nitroglycerin)
- Medication history (for this, see “Drug side effects” under “Headache due to medication”).
Note: For a comprehensive headache history questionnaire, see “Cephalgia”.
