SUNCT syndrome: A cohort of 15 Portuguese patients

Background: In this paper, we describe a cohort of patients with short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT), a rare trigeminal autonomic headache, managed in the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital.

Methods: Patients were identified through review of individual records between January 1, 2008 and June 30, 2014.

Results: Fifteen patients were identified (eight males:seven females), with mean age at onset of 49.7 years, mean number of attacks per day of 7.5 and mean attack duration of 54.6 seconds. Pain was mostly orbital, periorbital or temporal. Cranial autonomic signs/symptoms were universally present; one patient reported ipsilateral epistaxis. Two symptomatic cases were identified and treated surgically. Most patients responded to lamotrigine, one to topiramate and another to eslicarbazepine.

Conclusion: Our case series is among the largest reported, with findings similar to others already published, but the first to report epistaxis during SUNCT attack and response to eslicarbazepine.