• Haidar M Al-Khazali, Christina I Deligianni, Lanfranco Pellesi, Mohammad Al-Mahdi Al-Karagholi, Håkan Ashina, Basit Ali Chaudhry, Anja Sofie Petersen, Rigmor H Jensen, AminFaisal MohammadFMDepartment of Neurology, Danish Headache Center, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Messoud Ashina.
• Department of Neurology, Danish Headache Center, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Pain. 2024 Jun 1; 165 (6): 128913031289-1303.

AbstractActivation of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels has been implicated in triggering migraine attacks. However, whether the opening of these channels provoke cluster headache attacks remains undetermined. The hallmark of cluster headache is a distinct cyclical pattern of recurrent, severe headache episodes, succeeded by intervals of remission where no symptoms are present. In our study, we enrolled 41 participants: 10 with episodic cluster headaches during a bout, 15 in the attack-free remission period, and 17 diagnosed with chronic cluster headaches. Over 2 distinct experimental days, participants underwent a continuous 20-minute infusion of levcromakalim, a K ATP channel opener, or a placebo (isotonic saline), followed by a 90-minute observational period. The primary outcome was comparing the incidence of cluster headache attacks within the postinfusion observation period between the levcromakalim and placebo groups. Six of 10 participants (60%) with episodic cluster headaches in bout experienced attacks after levcromakalim infusion, vs just 1 of 10 (10%) with placebo ( P = 0.037). Among those in the remission phase, 1 of 15 participants (7%) reported attacks after levcromakalim, whereas none did postplacebo ( P = 0.50). In addition, 5 of 17 participants (29%) with chronic cluster headache had attacks after levcromakalim, in contrast to none after placebo ( P = 0.037). These findings demonstrate that K ATP channel activation can induce cluster headache attacks in participants with episodic cluster headaches in bout and chronic cluster headache, but not in those in the remission period. Our results underscore the potential utility of K ATP channel inhibitors as therapeutic agents for cluster headaches.Copyright © 2023 International Association for the Study of Pain.

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