title: Cluster headache or giant cell arteritis?
abstract: We describe an elderly female patient with known polymyositis who presented with new onset temporal headache that was diagnosed as giant cell arteritis but subsequently had a typical clinical course of cluster headache. This case illustrates the potential for diagnostic confusion between giant cell arteritis (GCA) and cluster headache (CH) and the need to consider CH as a potential differential diagnosis in those newly presenting with headaches, even in the elderly, and relapsing headaches in subjects with a diagnosis of GCA. Importantly, this needs to include female patients, a group historically thought to be much less likely to develop CH.
authors.affiliation: Dudley Group of Hospitals, Rheumatology, Russel's Hall Hospital, Dudley, DY1 2HQ, UK. baskar@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: Sangeetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baskar
authors.forename: Rolland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Etti
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kitas
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klocke
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018170:Sumatriptan / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D018170:Sumatriptan; D011239:Prednisolone