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Case Report: Coexistence of SUNCT and Hypnic Headache in the Same Patient
Author(s) -
Fantini Jacopo,
Granato Antonio,
Zorzon Marino,
Manganotti Paolo
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/head.12844
Subject(s) - medicine , headaches , primary headache , pathophysiology , headache disorders , neurological disorder , cluster headache , pediatrics , anesthesia , dermatology , migraine , central nervous system disease , surgery
Background Short‐lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) and hypnic headache (HH) are two exceedingly rare and distinctly classified primary headaches. The hypothalamus seems to be a crucial region involved in the pathophysiology of both conditions, but no cases of SUNCT and HH co‐occurrence have been described so far. Case results A 49‐year‐old woman who has been suffering from SUNCT for years, with alternation of symptomatic periods and remissions, developed a new headache with different clinical features, presenting exclusively during sleep and with a dramatic responsiveness to caffeine, that met the diagnostic criteria for HH. Conclusions The available literature suggests that SUNCT and HH are different conditions but the association in the same patient that we describe supports the concept that they are not mutually exclusive. Further studies are needed to establish if they share a common pathophysiological mechanism.