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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Posts >> "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journal 
        
(Message started by: floridian on Apr 2^nd, 2004, 4:16pm)

Title: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journal
Post by floridian on Apr 2^nd, 2004, 4:16pm

As far as I can tell, this is the first time that the term "suicide headache" has been used in a medical journal to describe CH. I found one other study from 1978 that mentions suicidal patients, but didn't call it suicide headache.

It also looks like they renamed the Kip Scale and now call it the VAS scale - what's up with that, Bob?

Quote:

Funct Neurol. 2003 Oct-Dec;18(4):205-10.

Pain and behaviour in cluster headache. A prospective study and review of the literature.

Torelli P, Manzoni GC. Headache Centre, Institute of Neurology, University of Parma, Italy.

Cluster headache (CH) has also been called "suicide headache" on account of the extremely severe pain that characterizes its attacks. It is indeed well known that CH sufferers exhibit peculiar behaviours during attacks. The purposes of our study were: i) to investigate prospectively prodromes and clinical pain features and behaviour of patients during typical, spontaneous attacks of CH defined according to the International Headache Society classification criteria; and ii) to investigate retrospectively the premonitory signs and symptoms preceding onset of the cluster period. Forty-two episodic CH patients consecutively referred to the University of Parma Headache Centre were asked to fill in a questionnaire soon after a "typical" CH attack. In the questionnaires, the patients were requested: a) to describe in their own words the type of pain experienced during the attack; b) to rate peak pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (VAS); c) to indicate the time elapsing between headache onset and peak pain intensity; d) to report the signs and symptoms preceding the attack (prodromes), choosing them from a 65-item list; and, e) to describe in their own words their behaviour during the attack. Each patient was also requested to report any signs and/or symptoms preceding onset of the cluster period (premonitory symptoms). Data analysis showed that the clinical features of pain were very complex and varied widely among patients. In 85.7% of cases, patients rated their peak pain intensity (reached on average within 8.9 minutes of attack onset) at between 8 and 10 on the VAS. Most (88.1%) exhibited typical signs of pyschomotor agitation (restlessness) during the attack. Prodromes were reported by almost all the patients in our sample (97.6%), and premonitory symptoms by only 40.5%. The results of our study suggest: i) that the pain in CH cannot be described either as vascular- or as neuralgic-type; ii) that a traditional three-item scale (mild, moderate, severe) does not allow adequate categorization of pain intensity, and should be replaced by the VAS in order to reflect a broader spectrum of pain intensity; iii) that restlessness during attacks is so frequent that it should become a CH diagnostic criterion; and, iv) that prompt and accurate reporting of prodromes and/or premonitory symptoms could be helpful in establishing early treatment.

Title: Re: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journ
Post by brain_cramps on Apr 2^nd, 2004, 4:27pm

Quote:

a traditional three-item scale (mild, moderate, severe) does not allow adequate categorization of pain intensity

Haven't we all been trying to tell doctors that for years?

Title: Re: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journ
Post by forgetfulnot on Apr 2^nd, 2004, 4:38pm

I was first diagnosed in 1980, my GP described them and diagnosed them as cluster headache, suicide headache and histamine headache. To him they all ment the same thing.

Lee

Title: Re: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journ
Post by Bob_Johnson on Apr 3^rd, 2004, 7:00am

I believe Dr. Seymour Diamond coined that term many years ago, i.e., "suicide headache". (He's the old man of the Chicago Diamond headache clinic.)

Title: Re: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journ
Post by floridian on Apr 3^rd, 2004, 1:43pm

I know the term 'suicide headache' has been used informally for a while, but this is the first time it makes it into the medical literature. Many people on the board favor this term because it is not dismissed as 'just a headache.'

Title: Re: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journ
Post by jonny on Apr 3^rd, 2004, 4:04pm

on 04/03/04 at 13:43:45, floridian wrote:

Many people on the board favor this term because it is not dismissed as 'just a headache.'

You are right, Sir!

...........................jonny

Title: Re: "Suicide Headache" term in Med Journ
Post by BobG on Apr 3^rd, 2004, 7:42pm

on 04/02/04 at 16:16:01, floridian wrote:

It also looks like they renamed the Kip Scale and now call it the VAS scale - what's up with that, Bob?

IMHO, Screw the VAS scale >:( It's the KIP scale or no scale at all!

Note to those that don't know............
I am not the Bob referred to above. The KIP scale is named for Bob Kipple aka bobkip.