Facial pain (ICD-10-GM G50.1-: atypical facial pain) can have a variety of causes.
The International Headache Society’s headache classification (International Classification of Headache Disorders, ICHD-3) defines facial pain as pain localized below the meato-orbital line and above the mental line.
Primary facial headache must be differentiated into the following types:
- Type I: Facial pain that occurs at the same time as the headache and usually ipsilateral (“located on the same side of the body”) to it.
- Type II: Headache attacks decrease and are increasingly replaced by facial pain attacks. Quality, duration, intensity and accompanying symptoms remain the same.
- Type III: Facial pain attacks that correspond in quality, duration and intensity to a primary headache, although no headache is known.
One can distinguish typical from atypical (atypical) facial pain. The latter, according to the new edition of the IHS classification Headache (Classification Committee of the International Headache Society 2004), was called persistent (persistent) idiopathic (without apparent cause) facial pain. This is when the facial pain does not have the characteristics of neuralgia (“nerve pain“) and is not caused by another condition.
Persistent idiopathic facial pain (IHS version 3) must meet diagnostic criteria (see classification below).
Persistent idiopathic facial pain is present in more than one in ten cases of facial pain. It often occurs in association with psychological changes.
Frequency peak: Persistent idiopathic facial pain affects women more often than men, especially in middle and old age.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) of persistent idiopathic facial pain is approximately 4.4 cases per 100,000 population per year.
Course and prognosis: As soon as sudden and severe pain in the face occurs or there are recurrent attacks of pain, a physician should be consulted for further clarification. The therapy of persistent idiopathic facial pain is often difficult. A cure is often not possible. In this case, the focus is on alleviating the pain.
