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Headaches are classified as either primary or secondary. Primary headaches are those that are not caused by any disease or other medical condition. Examples include tension headaches, migraine headaches, and cluster headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by other medical conditions such as infection, neck injury, or tumor.

Cluster Headaches (CH) are primary headaches that belong to a grouping of headaches classified by the International Headache Association as Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalgias (TACs). The types of headache attacks included in this category are:

• Cluster Headache
• SUNCT attacks (Short-lasting, Unilateral, Neuralgiaform headache with Conjunctival injection and Tearing)
• Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania
• Episodic paroxysmal hemicrania

Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalgias have the following features in common:

• Discrete and short-lasting headaches
• Intense, unilateral (on one side) pain in the orbital -temporal region (area surrounding the eye)
• Prominent autonomic symptoms (e.g. tearing, running eyes and nose)

The differences between the various types of TAC headaches include:

• Duration of individual attacks
• Frequency of individual attacks
• Pain pattern and intensity
• Responses to different medications