Headache Centre, Department of Neurosciences, Ospedale Civile SS Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, Italy.
Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2013 Mar;13(3):335. doi: 10.1007/s11910-012-0335-y.
The headache attributed to airplane travel, also named "airplane headache", is characterized by the sudden onset of a severe head pain exclusively in relation to airplane flights, mainly during the landing phase. Secondary causes, such as upper respiratory tract infections or acute sinusitis, must be ruled out. Although its cause is not thoroughly understood, sinus barotrauma should be reasonably involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms. Furthermore, in the current International Classification of Headache Disorders, rapid descent from high altitude is not considered as a possible cause of headache, although the onset of such pain in airplane travellers or aviators has been well known since the beginning of the aviation era. On the basis of a survey we conducted with the courteous cooperation of people who had experienced this type of headache, we proposed diagnostic criteria to be added to the forthcoming revision of the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Their formal validation would favour further studies aimed at improving knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved and at implementing preventative measures.
与飞行相关的头痛，也称“航空性头痛”，其特征是仅在与飞行相关时突发严重头痛，主要发生在降落阶段。必须排除上呼吸道感染或急性鼻窦炎等其他继发性病因。尽管其病因尚未完全阐明，但窦气压伤应合理地包含在病理生理机制中。此外，在当前的国际头痛疾病分类中，从高海拔快速下降不被认为是头痛的可能原因，尽管自航空时代开始，飞行乘客或飞行员就已经熟知这种类型的头痛。基于我们在有过此类头痛经历的人的友好合作下进行的调查，我们提出了诊断标准，将添加到即将修订的国际头痛疾病分类中。这些标准的正式验证将有助于进一步研究，以提高对所涉及病理生理机制的认识，并实施预防措施。
