title: Clinical profile of cluster headaches in Japan: low prevalence of chronic cluster headache, and uncoupling of sense and behaviour of restlessness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study examined the clinical profile of cluster headaches in Japan and the potential presence of features peculiar to Japan. Most previous studies of cluster headaches have focused on Caucasian populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects comprised 86 consecutive new cluster headache patients (68 males, 18 females; mean age, 38.4 ± 12.2 years; range, 17-73 years). Mean age at onset was 31.0 years and the ratio of males to females was 3.8:1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic cluster headache was observed in 3.5% of patients. More than half of patients (68.9%) reported feelings of restlessness during headache episodes and 42.9% reported restless behaviour. Patients with uncoupling of feelings of restlessness and restless behaviour forced themselves to keep still. Similar findings were reported in a Taiwanese study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Japanese patients in this study showed a relatively low prevalence of chronic cluster headaches, and uncoupling of a sense of restlessness and restless behaviour. These features of cluster headache may be more common in Japanese and Taiwanese patients than in Caucasian patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Shizuoka Red Cross Hospital, 8-2 Ohtemachi, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Japan. nboimai@ac.mbn.or.jp
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Nobuyasu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Ryou
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serizawa
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001519:Behavior; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult