Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache
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Eighty-five brain tumour patients were examined for further characteristics of brain tumour-associated headache. The overall prevalence of headache in this population was 60%, but headache was the sole symptom in only 2%. Pain was generally dull, of moderate intensity, and not specifically localized. ⋯ Pre-existing headache was the only risk factor according to logistic regression, suggesting that patients with pre-existing (primary) headache have a greater predisposition to develop secondary headache. Dull headache occurs significantly more often in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, and pulsating headache in patients with meningioma. In our study, only infratentorial tumours were associated with headache location, and predominantly with occipital but rarely frontal pain.
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No evidence is available to show that nasal congestion is a manifestation of exposing an individual to high altitude and hypoxia. Since both nasal congestion and high-altitude headache are vasogenic, we explored whether there is a coincidence between these two symptoms. A prospective observational study was carried out on a cohort of 118 adults (>18 years old) in a mountain clinic at 3450 m. ⋯ Sixty-six (55.9%) individuals mentioned headache within 24 h after ascent and nasal congestion was reported by 34 (28.8%) individuals. There was a reverse association between headache and nasal congestion (P < 0.001). In conclusion, there is a reverse association between altitude headache and nasal congestion, probably as result of contradictory autoregulation effects or exaggerated sympathetic activity.