Research Mentor: Dr. Raimi Quiton, Clinical Associate Professor, UMBC Psychology
Cluster Headache Diagnostic Delay: The Role of Patients and Physicians
Research Overview
Cluster Headache (CH) is a neurological disorder that has been characterized as one of the most intensely painful human conditions that exists. Diagnostic delay is the period of time during which symptoms are experienced but the condition has not yet been diagnosed by a clinician. The average diagnostic delay for CH is 5.7 years (range 0 to 36 years), which is problematic because it delays the treatment. Potential causes of CH diagnostic delay that have been identified are: ambiguous clinical presentation, age of onset, gender and race. This study aimed to further investigate factors that contribute to CH diagnostic delay, and determine whether or not there are patient behaviors that can mitigate diagnostic delay. Fifty CH patients were asked about use of a headache diary, self-diagnostic tools, and referral processes through an online questionnaire. Six clinicians (three specialists and three non-specialists) were interviewed about obstacles to CH diagnosis in their respective fields. Gaining a better understanding of factors that cause diagnostic delay in CH at the patient, primary care, and specialist levels in CH may inform efforts to reduce delay and improve effective intervention for this painful disorder.