Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Paroxysmal Hemicrania

Definition

Paroxysmal hemicrania (PH) is a rare form of headache. Paroxysmal hemicrania usually begins in adulthood, and affected persons experience severe throbbing, claw-like, or boring pain. The pain is usually on one side of the face, near or in the eye, temple, and occasionally reaching to the back of the neck. Red and tearing eyes, a drooping or swollen eyelid on the affected side of the face, and nasal congestion may accompany this pain. Persons experiencing the headache pain of paroxysmal hemicrania may also feel dull pain, soreness, or tenderness between attacks.

Description

Paroxysmal hemicrania syndromes have two forms: chronic, in which persons experience attacks on a daily basis for a year or more, and episodic, in which the headaches do not...