Dellemicrania

Dellemicrania is a term that appears in a small number of medical case reports and online glossaries to describe a headache syndrome that is not widely recognized in major classification systems. It is not listed in the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) and its diagnostic criteria are not standardized. In available sources, the term is used variably and may overlap with features of migraine and other primary headaches.

Clinical features commonly described include recurrent headaches that can be unilateral or bilateral, of moderate to severe intensity, and lasting from minutes to several hours. Associated symptoms may include nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia. Some reports mention autonomic signs such as tearing or nasal congestion. The attack pattern is inconsistent, with some individuals experiencing discrete episodes separated by symptom-free intervals and others with more continuous or fluctuating symptoms.

Evaluation relies on clinical assessment and exclusion of secondary causes. Neuroimaging and neurological examination are typically used to rule out structural or other serious conditions. There are no validated laboratory tests or biomarkers for dellemicrania. The differential diagnosis includes migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, and other primary headaches, as well as secondary headache disorders.

Management is generally guided by approaches used for similar primary headaches, with treatment individualized to symptom burden. Acute therapies may include analgesics or triptans; preventive therapy can be considered for frequent or disabling attacks. However, evidence supporting specific dellemicrania-directed therapies remains limited due to the scarcity of robust studies.

The prognosis is uncertain given the limited literature. Because the term is not widely adopted in neurology, clinicians typically apply standard headache assessment and management principles and consider alternative diagnoses if symptoms evolve.