Posted by Russell on May 30, 1998 at 11:06:41:
In Reply to: cluster headaches posted by FC on May 27, 1998 at 21:19:30:
I once had a cluster triggered by going to the high altitudes of Denver for a week and a half. Another cluster was triggered after a severe sinus infection which required months of treatment with various drugs. I've never noticed allergies having anything to do with it.
More and more, it's starting to look like clusters are genetic. One neurologist said it was a defect in a gene for calcium-ion processing. Another possibility is a narrowness in certain parts of the skull like the cavernous sinus which impedes blood flow.
One other interesting thing is that I had a short, mild cluster when I was eight years old. I saw an article which said clusters in youths are more common than is commonly believed.