Case series of sixteen patients with nummular headache.
BACKGROUND
Nummular headache is a rare primary headache disorder described by a focal circumscribed area of pain (2-6 cm in diameter). Literature on this disorder is sparse.


METHODS
Here, we describe a case series of 16 patients (6 men, 10 women) seen at the Mayo Clinic.


RESULTS
Mean age of onset was 50 years (range, 19-79 years) and mean duration of headache was 7.9 years (range, 0.33-40 years). Location of headache varied and was found to be an average of 3.9 cm in diameter (range, 2-10 cm). Headache was episodic (< 15 days/month) in four patients and chronic (>15 days/month) in 12 patients. Attention was paid to therapeutic interventions. Resolution was seen in 38% of patients. Migraine was present in the history of 56% of patients and medication overuse headache was found in 25%.


CONCLUSIONS
Our series results support previous findings. In our population, no specific therapy was identified to be effective in more than one patient.
Denver Neurological Clinic, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Justin
J
Moon
Kamran
K
Ahmed
Ivan
I
Garza
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D051270:Headache Disorders, Primary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
D000700:Analgesics