Report of eight new cases of hypnic headache and mini-review of the literature

Natascia Ghiotto; Grazia Sances; Giorgio Di Lorenzo; Marco Trucco; Marianna Loi; Giorgio Sandrini; Giuseppe Nappi

Report of eight new cases of hypnic headache and mini-review of the literature

Funct Neurol. 2002 Oct-Dec;17(4):211-9.

Authors

Natascia Ghiotto¹, Grazia Sances, Giorgio Di Lorenzo, Marco Trucco, Marianna Loi, Giorgio Sandrini, Giuseppe Nappi

Affiliation

¹ Headache Treatment and Diagnosis Centre, University Centre for Adaptive Disorders and Headache, IRCCS C. Mondino Institute of Neurology, Pavia, Italy.

PMID: 12675265

Abstract

Hypnic headache is a rare condition first described by Raskin in 1988. This headache is not included in the first edition of the International Headache Society classification (IHC 1st Edition). We describe eight new Italian hypnic headache cases and consider our findings in the light of literature data. Our cases do not completely fulfil the diagnostic criteria for the syndrome proposed in 1997 by Goadsby and Lipton: four of our patients reported an attack duration longer than 60 minutes (ranging from 3 to 10 hours) and five reported unilateral pain. These data are in line with an analysis of all 61 cases published in the literature to date, which reveals a pain duration of over 60 minutes in 45.9% of the cases and unilateral attacks in 36%. Hypnic headache will be included in the fourth chapter (Other Primary Headaches) of the revised edition of the above-mentioned classification (IHC 2nd Edition).

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Acetates / therapeutic use
Aged
Amines*
Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / therapeutic use
Antioxidants / therapeutic use
Blood Pressure / physiology
Caffeine / therapeutic use
Central Nervous System Stimulants / therapeutic use
Cinnarizine / therapeutic use
Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids*
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / therapeutic use
Female
Gabapentin
Headache / diagnosis
Headache / physiopathology*
Histamine H1 Antagonists / therapeutic use
Humans
Male
Melatonin / therapeutic use
Middle Aged
Prednisone / therapeutic use
Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / physiopathology
Sleep Wake Disorders / diagnosis
Sleep Wake Disorders / physiopathology*
Syndrome
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid*

Substances

Acetates
Amines
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
Antioxidants
Central Nervous System Stimulants
Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
Histamine H1 Antagonists
Cinnarizine
Caffeine
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
Gabapentin
Melatonin
Prednisone