Efficacy of oxygen inhalation in sumatriptan refractory "high altitude" cluster headache attacks.
We describe the case of a 40-year-old woman, affected by episodic cluster headache, who presented with a cluster headache triggered by exposure to high altitude. Her attacks were refractory to sumatriptan, very effective at sea level, but responded to oxygen. A pathophysiological mechanism is proposed.
Department of Neurosciences, Headache Centre, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padua, Italy. edoardo.mampreso@unipd.it
Edoardo
E
Mampreso
Ferdinando
F
Maggioni
Federica
F
Viaro
Caterina
C
Disco
Giorgio
G
Zanchin
D000328:Adult; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018170:Sumatriptan / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014700:Verapamil / Q000627:therapeutic use
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D018170:Sumatriptan; D014700:Verapamil