Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are characterized by periods of severe, shooting pain. Often appearing suddenly and without warning, they are followed by a period of time free of pain.
They are a rare neurological disorder that strikes only 0.5% of the general population, more often affecting men than women. Cluster headaches have been linked to the patient’s biological clock as they occur at the same approximate time every year.
Cluster headaches are generally shorter in length than the typical migraine, lasting from 15 or 30 minutes to as long as three hours. The two headaches disorders do often share symptoms, in particular increased light and sound sensitivity, aura and giddiness.
Striking with little or no warning, the pain can be intense and stabbing affecting the area of the eye before moving to other parts of the face, neck, head and shoulders.
The pain will tend to concentrate to one side or the other and is accompanied by redness, swelling, a drooping eyelid, decreased pupils and pale, sweaty skin. Cluster head pain is know to awaken sufferers from their sleep.
Although cluster headaches are a rare disorder, at New Jersey Headache Institute we are prepared to treat them with effective therapies that will reduce their frequency and severity.
Seventy percent of our chronic headache patients have responded well to a treatment plan of 15 minutes of 100% oxygen. Some prescribed medicines, like Prednisone and subcutaneous Sumatriptan, are also effective treatments.
Dr. Payman Sadeghi is the co-founder of the New Jersey Headache Institute. He studied medicine at Nordestana University and finished his Internal Medicine internship and Neurology residency at the University of Texas. Dr. Sadeghi has completed an electromyography super fellowship as well as many epilepsy and neuroimaging fellowships.
At his residency in Neurology at the University of Texas Medical Branch Dr. Sadeghi gained extensive experience diagnosing and treating headache and migraine patients. That residency, along with Dr. Sadeghi’s medical curiosity and his varied clinical experience, has made him a specialist in headaches and their treatment.
Dr. Sadeghi was also a clinical assistant professor during his time at the University of Texas. He is a member of the American Headache Society, the National Headache Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Sadeghi is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Persian.
