Histamine in treatment of certain types of headache and vertigo following the fenestration operation.

Abstract

HISTAMINE for the treatment of vertigo was first reported by Alfoldy in 1938 and for the treatment of headache by Horton, MacLean and Craig in 1939. Horton described a distinct clinical syndrome that he named histaminic cephalalgia, or vascular headache, that could be elicited by a subcutaneous dose of histamine and relieved by repeated injections of graduated doses of histamine given subcutaneously twice daily. Hansel also used histamine in the treatment of cases of typical histaminic cephalalgia, but in contrast to the relatively large frequent subcutaneous injections advised by Horton, Hansel used an extremely minute dose of histamine given less frequently, once or twice a week, and usually supplemented by drops of very dilute histamine solution under the tongue twice daily. My associates and I have followed the plan of treatment suggested by Hansel, and in typical cases of histaminic cephalalgia the results have been satisfactory in the majority of