[Aura-related symptoms associated with cluster headache: outcomes of a LUCA substudy].

Objective: To describe the prevalence of aura in a Dutch cluster headache (CH) population.

Design: Cross-sectional, epidemiological study.

Method: As part of a large-scale study into headaches conducted in Leiden (the Netherlands), patients experiencing headaches were identified by means of questionnaires on a headache website. One group of patients with CH was approached by telephone and an interview on aura-related symptoms was performed by means of a standardized questionnaire. The presence of migraine co-morbidity was also investigated.

Results: Of the interviewed CH patients, 22 out of 244 (9.0%) had aura-related symptoms preceding a CH attack, which were predominantly visual in nature. The majority (72.7%) of these patients did not have migraine co-morbidity.

Conclusion: Aura-related symptoms can occur in CH without migraine co-morbidity. In clinical practice, it should be taken into account that the presence of an aura does not always indicate migraine.