Cataract in chronic cluster headache: two case reports and review of the literature.
Cluster headache (CH) consists of attacks of severe, unilateral orbital/supraorbital/temporal pain, lasting for 15-180 min, occurring once or more times a day, and associated with ipsilateral conjunctival injection, lacrimation and other symptoms. Cataract is clouding of the lens of the eye causing a progressive and painless loss of vision. We describe the cases of two men (not relative, but with the same last name, which originates from north-eastern Italy) that in young adult age, after years of suffering from chronic CH, developed cataract on the same side of the pain attacks. Patient 1 was diagnosed as having cataract 18 years after the onset of episodic (and subsequently chronic) CH. Patient 2 began suffering from chronic CH at the age of 44 years and after 8 years he developed cataract. This is the first report of cataract in patient suffering of CH and occurring in the eye affected by the pain attack.
Benemei
Silvia
S
Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. silvia.benemei@unifi.it
Nicoletti
Paola
P
Geppetti
Pierangelo
P
Bonciani
Mara
M
D000328:Adult; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology*; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000150:complications*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged