The pain can be triggered by everyday activities such as eating, shaving, talking or by being out in even a light breeze. Paroxysmal hemicrania has similar characteristics of pain and associated symptoms as the cluster headache. However, each attack is usually short-lived, with most lasting between 5 and 30 minutes.
The pain is always one-sided, very severe, and seems to be concentrated around the eye, temple, and forehead region. There are associated symptoms of watering of the eye and eye redness; even drooping of the eyelid.
Hemicrania continua is characterised by a continuous, fluctuating, unilateral pain. The pain is, typically, mild to moderate in intensity and in the majority of patients episodes of severe pain are superimposed on the continuous baseline pain. SUNCT is a rare type of headache characterized by short-lived (5–240 seconds), painful attacks around the eye, accompanied by eye redness and watering of the eye.
Hemiplegic migraine is a rare type of migraine, which is associated with weakness on one side of the body as part of the migraine attack. This can involve the face, arm or leg and be accompanied by numbness, or pins and needles. It is also associated with speech difficulties, vision problems or confusion. This weakness may last from one hour to several days, but usually, it goes within 24 hours. The migraine typically follows the weakness, but it may precede the weakness or be absent.
At Dementech Neuroscience Clinic, we offer a comprehensive approach to headaches including multiaxial assessments of symptoms and investigation of other neuropsychiatric issues associated with headaches, blood and imaging assessments. We will use blood tests and imaging scans to precisely make the diagnosis and differentiate from other disorders.
There are several medications that can be used for the acute attacks. Some people may take a daily tablet to act as a headache preventer.
Dr Lucio D’Anna is a Consultant Neurologist at the Department of Stroke & Neurosciences at Imperial College London NHS Trust. He is also Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London.
Dr Singhai has been a Consultant Physician/Geriatrician since 2009, initially at the Homerton University Hospital Foundation Trust in London and then from 2016 he has been at the Lister Hospital in Hertfordshire.
Dr David Choluj is a Consultant Neurologist with a further extensive experience in Stroke Medicine and Neurological Rehabilitation, based in London.
Professor K. Ray Chaudhuri is a world-renowned expert in Parkinson's disease. He is Professor of Neurology/Movement Disorders & Consultant Neurologist at King’s College Hospital & King’s College London and also Principal Investigator at the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute.
Dag Aarsland is Professor and Head of Department of Old Age Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and Consultant psychiatrist at the Mental Health for Older Adults, South London & Maudsley NHS Health Trust, where he leads the Parkinson Spectrum Memory Clinic.
Dr Vinod Metta, consultant interventional neurologist & movement disorder specialist trained at Kings College Hospital London.
