Cluster Headache and Associated Risk Factors: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Cluster headache (CH) has always been associated with several risk factors, including hereditary, environmental, and lifestyle habits. This study focuses on important risk factors, including family history, smoking, alcohol consumption, male predominance, and head trauma associated with CH. The present study aimed at investigating the available literature on cluster headaches and evaluating their associated risk factors. A systematic data search was designed, and scientific data were collected from renowned databases, including PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Google Scholar. Thirty-two studies were selected to execute a systemic review, and 26 studies, consisting of 6,065 CH patients, qualified for a meta-analysis. Statistical analyses were conducted by using MedCalc, version 16.8.4; (MedCalc Software, Ostend, Belgium; http://www.medcalc.org ) and Rapidminer statistical software, version 9.6.0 ( www.rapidminer.com ). We conclude the evidence of family history, smoking, alcohol consumption, male predominance, and head trauma are associated with cluster headaches. However, sex discrimination in familial cases needs to be revisited because of the female predominance reported by familial history and CH association studies.

The World Health Organization Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders and the headache revolution: from headache burden to a global action plan for headache disorders

“…Behavioural risk factors and risk factors that can be addressed though targeting behaviours are modifiable with a life course approach. Most of them have been especially reported for the development of chronic migraine and include: overuse of acute migraine medication, ineffective acute treatment, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stressful life events, night-shifts on work, depression and other psychiatric comorbidities, sleep problems, temporomandibular disorders, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption [20,[83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]. In turn, headache disorders, and migraine in particular, are risk factors for other conditions, among all cerebrovascular ones [91][92][93][94][95][96], but also other cardiovascular, visual, perceptual and psychiatric disorders [97][98][99].…”

Pediatric Cluster Headache Case Series: Symptomatic Cases and the Migraine Relationship

“…2,7,15 Risk factors for cluster headache include smoking, positive family history, alcohol consumption, head trauma, and childhood exposure to secondhand smoking. 9,[16][17][18][19] Migraine is a distinct primary headache disorder with criteria defined by ICHD-3 in Table 2. 14 Although not part of ICHD-3 criteria, cluster headache can also have frequent migrainous features.…”

“…2,7,15 Risk factors for cluster headache include smoking, positive family history, alcohol consumption, head trauma, and childhood exposure to secondhand smoking. 9,16–19…”