According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders diagnostic criteria, the differences between migraine and cluster headache are clear. While headache duration and pain features are different, the symptoms occurring are also dissimilar.
There have been however, a few studies of patients with cluster headache who have experienced nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia, and aura – features commonly seen in migraine.
Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia looked at patients with cluster headache who showed migraine-like features and sought to find out if there was a significance to this phenomenon.
One hundred and fifty-five patients with cluster headache were studied, and 24.5% of them experienced at least one migraine-like feature during every cluster headache attack. Nausea and vomiting were most frequently seen. The researchers also noted that the cluster headache patients showed more facial sweating and aggravation of pain by effort.
Based on their results, the researchers concluded that the presence of migraine features in cluster headache patients did not have an important influence on the diagnosis and treatment of cluster headache patients, though they suggested further studies are needed to better understand why some cluster headache patients exhibit characteristics of migraine…… Headache the Journal of Head and Face Pain October 2013