Hemicrania Contínua
A continuous, one-sided headache that can vary in intensity throughout the day, but never goes down to a “zero” pain level. Often associated with “cranial autonomic symptoms” such as eye tearing/redness, facial flushing, etc.
As the name implies, this is a continuous, one-sided headache. It is almost always “side-locked,” which means it is always on the SAME SIDE of the head (right vs left). There are often “cranial autonomic symptoms” on the same side of the head pain. These include symptoms such as eye tearing, eye redness, feeling like a “grit of sand” is in the eye, facial puffiness, sinus congestion, etc. It is important to note that these same symptoms can occur with migraine, but they are very common in those with hemicrania continua. The treatment of choice for this headache condition is a medication called indomethacin (also known as Indocin). This is a part of the diagnostic criteria for this headache condition that at adequate doses of this medication, one would expect complete pain resolution if the headache is indeed hemicrania continua.
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