A REVIEW OF HORMONAL FINDINGS IN CLUSTER HEADACHE - EVIDENCE FOR HYPOTHALAMIC INVOLVEMENT

The cause of cluster headache remains to be determined. The involvemen t of peripheral neurovascular structures can explain the pain and auto nomic signs of a cluster attack, but not its rhythmicity. The central theory of cluster headache attributes the cyclic recurrence to involve ment of the hypothalamus. To evaluate hypothalamic dysfunction a numbe r of hormone studies have been carried out on cluster headache patient s. Alterations in plasma melatonin, cortisol, testosterone, gonadotrop hins, prolactin, growth hormone and thyrotropin have been documented, some only in the cluster period but others in the remission phase of t he illness. We believe that the hormonal abnormalities in cluster head ache support disorders of hypothalamic function.