STOCKHOLM (Dispatches) -- Researchers have recently revealed that people who suffer from cluster headaches , are three times more likely to have other medical conditions such as heart disease, mental disorders and other neurologic diseases.
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden studied 3,240 people with cluster headaches from age 16-64 in Sweden who were compared to 16,200 people who were similar in age, sex and other factors. The majority were men, which is common with cluster headache.
Cluster headaches are short but extremely painful headaches that can occur many days, or even weeks, in a row. The headaches can last anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours.
The study indicated that people with cluster headaches not only have an increased risk of other illnesses, those with at least one additional illness missed four times as many days of work due to sickness and disability than those with just cluster headaches. They also have a higher chance of a long-term absence from work. Also , among those with cluster headaches, 92%, or 2,977 people, had at least one additional illness. Of those without cluster headaches, 78%, or 12,575 people, had two or more illnesses.