This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
Objective: As cluster headache (CH) is often referred to as “suicide headache,” we wanted to assess the prevalence of depression in CH patients, and to investigate determinants of depression such as sleep disturbances.
Methods: In a cross-sectional, web-based, validated questionnaire study among 462 well-defined CH patients and 177 controls, we diagnosed CH according to the ICHD-III. We assessed depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) with supplementary questions to assess lifetime depression. Data were analyzed with logistic and linear regression models.
Results: Lifetime depression showed almost 3 times higher odds in CH patients (n = 462) than controls (n = 177) (odds ratio 2.77; 95% confidence interval 1.70–4.51). Chronic (n = 67) vs episodic (n = 394) patients had a higher prevalence of lifetime depression and more sleeping problems. Current depression was associated with having active attacks (last attack <1 month) (adjusted p = 0.02), but no effect remained after correction for sleep disturbances.
Conclusions: CH is associated with an almost 3 times increased odds of lifetime depression. Current depression is highly prevalent in patients with active disease, in part related to sleep disturbances due to current nocturnal attacks.
GLOSSARY
- BMI=
- body mass index;
- CES-D=
- Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale;
- CH=
- cluster headache;
- CI=
- confidence interval;
- HADS-D=
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale;
- ICHD=
- International Classification of Headache Disorders;
- LUCA=
- Leiden University Cluster Headache Analysis program;
- OR=
- odds ratio;
- PSQI=
- Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
↵* These authors contributed equally to this work as first authors.
↵‡ These authors contributed equally to this work as last authors.
Supplemental data at Neurology.org
- Received March 4, 2016.
- Accepted in final form July 18, 2016.
- © 2016 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
- Depression risk in patients with cluster headache
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
