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Cluster Headaches

Diagnosis

Because much of a diagnosis depends on a patient's description of his or her headaches, doctors often recommend keeping a journal, to record for each headache:

  • The date and time
  • What the pain feels like
  • How strong the pain is
  • Where the pain is located
  • How long the pain lasts
  • Any medications taken

Doctors also perform a neurologic examination to check for physical signs of a cluster headache and perform blood and CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) tests to rule out other causes for the headaches.

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