The natural history of episodic cluster headache

We studied the course of episodic cluster headache in 72 patients. Sixty-two cases (86%) had a regular frequency of clusters per year. Most patients suffered from 1 bout a year. A prolonged remission (> 1 year) did not change the frequency pattern of clusters per year. Fifty patients (69%) had a fixed pattern both of frequency and duration of bouts. Thirty-seven patients (51%) had a regular frequency of bouts per year, a fixed duration of bouts and a fixed frequency of attacks a day. Our results show that the natural history of most cluster headache (CH) patients is characterized by a regular pattern.