Headache related to heart defects

A severe type of headache called cluster headache that usually begins around the eye often occurs along with a heart defect called patent foramen ovale (PFO), in which blood passes through a small hole from the right to the left side of the heart without going through the lungs first.When the baby is in the womb, the foramen ovale is open, as the blood does not need to pass through the lungs to pick up oxygen. After birth, this hole normally closes, but quite often it may not close completely. Since it is a small defect people are often unaware that they have an open (patent) foramen ovale.Researchers from the University of Genoa in Italy, used ultrasound to look for PFO in 40 people with cluster headache and 40 similar subjects without such headaches. There was evidence of PFO in 17 patients with cluster headache compared with just 7 headache-free subjects. Having a cluster headache tripled the odds of having a PFO.

The reason why the two conditions occur together is unclear, but it may relate to lower oxygen levels in the blood. With PFO, blood that bypasses lungs carries less oxygen than normal, and previous reports have suggested that poorly oxygenated blood may help induce cluster headaches. Further studies are needed to better understand the association between cluster headache and PFO.

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