Predictors of acute treatment response among patients with cluster headache.
BACKGROUND
Oxygen and triptans are drugs of first choice to abort cluster headache attacks. However, clinical predictors of treatment response are unavailable.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to identify predictors of acute treatment response among patients with cluster headache.


METHODS
We investigated 246 cluster headache patients with available information on personal, headache, and lifestyle characteristics as well as effectiveness of acute medication use. We used logistic regression models to identify potential predictors of triptan and oxygen response.


RESULTS
Triptans were effective in 137 of the 191 users and oxygen in 134 of the 175 users. We only identified increasing age (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99; P= .013) as a negative predictor for triptan response, while nausea/vomiting (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18-0.91; P= .029) and restlessness (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01-0.66; P= .019) were negative predictors of oxygen response.


CONCLUSIONS
Few clinical features seem to predict treatment nonresponse in cluster headache. More refined studies aiming at physiological and genetic characteristics seem promising in the future.
Schürks
Markus
M
Department of Neurology, University of Duisberg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany.
Rosskopf
Dieter
D
de Jesus
Janete
J
Jonjic
Mira
M
Diener
Hans-Christoph
HC
Kurth
Tobias
T
D000328:Adult; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014363:Tryptamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014363:Tryptamines