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The test

Answer with your usual attacks in mind. For the question about how long a headache lasts, think of attacks that were not treated, or where treatment did not work.

1. Is this the worst pain you have ever experienced?
2. Imagine setting a timer. Does the headache last less than 4 hours?
3. During a headache, do one or more of these happen to you?
  • …your eye turns red on only one side
  • …your eye waters on only one side
  • …your nose runs on only one side
  • …your nose gets congested on only one side

The following three questions are the Erwin Test for Cluster Headache, reproduced verbatim. © 2020 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Reproduced verbatim under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.