DID YOU KNOW ? Smoking is a known contributor to headache , both for those smoking and those impacted by second-hand smoke . Nicotine , one of the compounds found in tobacco , has vascular properties that may contribute to headache .
The Cluster Club
PEOPLE WITH CLUSTER HEADACHE are more likely to have brown and blue eyes than hazel eyes . It might seem strange to identify a headache patient by his or her eye color , but people with cluster headache do appear to fit a certain profile .
Approximately 500,000 cluster patients live in the United States . In late 2008 , a U . S . Cluster Headache Survey was sent to approximately 9,000 of these patients and included 187 questions about everything from clinical to economic issues related to cluster headache . The results were published in the January 2012 issue of the journal Headache . Here ’ s what they learned about U . S . cluster patients :
36 % are between the ages of 21 and 30 80 % have headaches on a daily basis 34 % have brown eyes 42 % spent five years waiting for a correct diagnosis 82 % deny a family history of cluster headache 52 % noted alcohol as a trigger 21 % note an aura before a cluster attack 73 % have a current or prior history of tobacco use
With such a high number of cluster patients reporting they are smokers , the results suggest that smoking is a risk factor for cluster headache .
Perhaps most concerning , of participants in the study , 55 percent have had suicidal thoughts , 17 percent have lost a full-time job as a result of cluster headaches and 11 percent noted they are homebound more than 30 days per year .
DID YOU KNOW ? Smoking is a known contributor to headache , both for those smoking and those impacted by second-hand smoke . Nicotine , one of the compounds found in tobacco , has vascular properties that may contribute to headache .
FAST FACT :
Women feel pain more intensely than men , according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Pain . Women report their pain levels to be about 20 percent higher than men for a number of conditions , from inflammatory pain to sinus infections .
www . headaches . org | National Headache Foundation 13