Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania

Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania (CPH) is a severe debilitating unilateral headache usually affecting the area around the eye. It normally consists of multiple severe, yet short, headache attacks affecting only one side of the cranium. It is more commonly diagnosed in women than in men, but, unlike a migraine, has no neurological symptoms associated with it. CPH headaches are treated through the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with indomethacin found to be usually effective in eliminating symptoms. Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania (CPH) is a severe debilitating unilateral headache usually affecting the area around the eye. It normally consists of multiple severe, yet short, headache attacks affecting only one side of the cranium. It is more commonly diagnosed in women than in men, but, unlike a migraine, has no neurological symptoms associated with it. CPH headaches are treated through the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with indomethacin found to be usually effective in eliminating symptoms. Paroxysmal hemicrania is classified by the frequency and duration of attacks experienced by patients. Episodic paroxysmal hemicrania attacks occur at least twice a year and last anywhere from seven days to a year with pain free periods of a month or longer separating them. Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania attacks occur over the course of more than a year without remission or with remissions lasting less than a month. Individuals with CPH suffer multiple short, severe headaches a day, often more than five, with most lasting between 5 and 30 minutes each. When compared to cluster headaches, CPH attacks are typically shorter. Each headache is centered around the eye, temple and forehead and is localized to one side of the head. While redness and watering of the eye are associated with CPH, patients typically do not experience nausea or vomiting. Many secondary conditions have been reported to be possible causes of CPH, according to Mehta et al., most of which are arterial abrasions or tumors. These include aneurysms in the circle of Willis, middle cerebral artery infarction, parietal arteriovenous malformation, cavernous sinus and petrous ridge meningiomas, pituitary adenoma, Pancoast tumor, gangliocytoma of the sella turcica, and malignant frontal tumors. This accentuates the urgency for those diagnosed with CPH to receive an MRI head scan. CPH is a long-term disease with symptoms lasting for longer than a year, either without remission or with remissions that last less than a month. In order to be diagnosed with CPH, a patient needs to have had at least 20 attacks filling the following criteria: In addition, diagnosis of CPH requires that neuropathy of the supraorbital area in the temporal branch of the facial nerve be ruled out.