Home Oxygen Therapy for the Treatment of Cluster Headache

Cluster headache is a rare disorder that affects between one out of 1,400 and one out of 250 people and is more common in men than women. In its episodic form, it is accompanied by very severe unilateral pain that lasts between 45 and 90 minutes on average; the attacks occur daily for a few weeks, followed by periods of remission.Following the experience of the use of oxygen as a treatment for cluster headache by several clinicians, a group of Quebec neurologists asked the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux to add oxygen to the list of products covered under the public health plan. The Minister forwarded an assessment request to the Agence d’évaluation des technologies et des modes d’intervention en santé in order to determine whether cluster headache could be added to the indications for the home oxygen therapy program.Although certain pharmacotherapeutic options for the treatment of attacks exist, they are not reliable and safe enough to replace oxygen therapy completely and hence relieve the severe suffering associated with this disorder. In this context, AETMIS believes that this disorder should be included in the indications accepted in the ministerial frame of reference for clients requiring oxygen therapy at home.