The 1st Edition of Cluster Headache Award

On Behalf of the University Centre for Adaptive Disorder and Headache (UCADH) and the Casimiro Mondino Foundation of Pavia, Italy, the Cluster Headache Award is given yearly to a research group which, following the tradition of the Headache Centre over the last three decades, has given a relevant contribution in the field of cluster headache. The prize is acknowledged on the basis of a peer reviewed manuscript published the previous year. The ad Hoc Committee is made of eight world-wide scientists known in this field, who scored 34 full papers published in 2003. The Winner of the first edition has been the article: Cluster headache prevalence. Vågå study of headache epidemiology. Cephalalgia. 2003 Sep;23(7):528-33 written by Ottar Sjaastad and Leiv Sigmund Bakketeig.

The rationale of the Vågå Study stems from the demand to re-evaluate the large difference in prevalence of cluster headache reported in literature (authoritative source : 70/100.000). The Authors have personally seen 1838 inhabitants of a Norwegian mountain community and diagnosed 7 cluster headache patients (prevalence:381 per 100.000) who were unknown to the Health Care Service (never referred to university hospital, major clinics, regular hospitals and spcialist practice). Several reasons could account for no headache consultation (long remission, short active periods, mild/brief attacks). Therefore, according to the authors the diagnosis of cluster headache is underestimated and the personal interview might provide better figures for estimation the real prevalence.
The recipient has presented a summary of his research during the Migraine Trust International Symposium in London, September 23rd. This year the prize amounts to € 5000,00 and it has be awarded by the Award Secretariat (F. Antonaci MD, PhD) to Prof. Ottar Sjaastad

Prof. Sjaastad receiving the award from Dr. Antonaci (on the right)
and Prof. Goadsby (Chairman of the scientific committee of the Migraine Trust Symposium