A patient presents with severe stabbing pains behind the left eye and nasal congestion. This is most likely a sign of which headache type?

The combination of severe stabbing pain behind the eye, along with nasal congestion, is characteristic of a cluster headache. Cluster headaches are classified as one of the primary headache types and are known for their extremely painful and often unilateral (affecting one side of the head) nature. They typically involve episodes of intense pain that may be associated with autonomic symptoms such as nasal congestion or watering of the eye on the same side as the pain.

Cluster headaches often occur in cyclical patterns or "clusters," which can last for weeks to months, followed by periods of remission. The specific location of the pain, behind the eye, and the presence of nasal congestion provide strong clues that this is the type of headache being experienced.

While migraine headaches can also present with severe pain and additional symptoms, they typically feature a more generalized pounding sensation and may involve visual disturbances (auras) that are not seen in cluster headaches. Tic douloureux, or trigeminal neuralgia, involves episodes of sharp facial pain that do not usually cause nasal congestion, while cranial neuralgia encompasses a group of conditions that affect the cranial nerves but do not specifically align with the symptoms presented in this scenario.