Two new studies from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified clues about the biological mechanisms involved in cluster headache, a rare neurological disease marked by sudden attacks of extreme pain. The investigations point to inflammation, changes in gene regulation, and exposure to substances found in tobacco smoke as possible contributing factors for the development of the condition.
The researchers found that people with cluster headache smoke more frequently. However, the scientists warn that, for now, no cause-and-effect relationship between tobacco and the disease has been established.
Cluster headache is known as the "suicidal headache" due to the extreme intensity of the pain it causes. The condition manifests in very well-defined cycles, at fixed times and daily, which makes its pattern particularly strange and debilitating for those who suffer from this pathology.
