The prevalence of cluster headache is about one in 500. In people coming to a headache clinic, the prevalence is about 10%.

Cluster headaches are excruciating and incapacitating, and affect quality of life. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can make a big difference to the outcome - so it is vital that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right.

In this BMJ Best Practice podcast on cluster headache, Kieran Walsh talks with Professor Amaal Starling, Associate Professor of Neurology at the Department of Neurology in the Mayo Clinic.

Further resources: clusterbusters.org/.

Competing interests: AS has received consulting fees from AbbVie, Allergan, Amgen, Axsome Therapeutics, Everyday Health, Lundbeck, Med-IQ, Medscape, Neurolief, Satsuma, and WebMD.