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A cluster headache causes a stabbing pain on one side of your head, often behind or around your eye. Cluster headache attacks occur in cyclical patterns or clusters. You'll experience frequent attacks or cluster periods, which could last for several weeks. After a cluster period, you'll have remission periods when you may not experience any headaches for months or years.
Most people have one or two cluster periods a year, but cluster periods vary in each person. Most people have episodic cluster headaches, in which the cluster periods last from one week to one year, with remission periods lasting months or years. Some people may have chronic cluster headaches, and they may experience cluster periods lasting more than a year with no remission or brief remission periods.
At Mayo Clinic, doctors who have training in diagnosing and treating all types of headaches treat people who have cluster headaches.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked high performing for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic also ranks among the Best Children's Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery.
Read more about cluster headaches at MayoClinic.com.
Jeffrey Hughes is one of the first patients in the U.S. to undergo deep brain stimulation for his chronic headaches — and he is happy he had the courage to make that choice.
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