Chronic daily headache in a paediatric headache centre

The prevalence and the clinical features of chronic daily headache (CDH) were studied in 968 children and adolescents observed during a period of one year in the Headache Centre of the Anna Meyer Paediatric Hospital of Florence. Nine hundred and fortyfour patients (97.52%) had primary headache according to ICHD-II, 24 subjects had secondary headache and 56 patients had CDH (5.93% of primary headaches). The mean age of subjects with CDH was higher than general (13.5 vs. 11.5 years), with a female preponderance (69.6% vs. 30.4%). According to the ICHD-II, headaches were classified as chronic migraine in 10 patients (1.5.2 ICHD-II), chronic tension-type headache in 36 (2.3 ICHD-II), new daily persistent headache in 8 (4.8 ICHD-II) and 2 patients reported mixed pattern (chronic migraine+chronic tension type headache). Medication overuse was not implicated in our patients.     

Chronic daily headache in a primary care population: prevalence and headache impact test scores

BACKGROUND: Population-based surveys estimate the prevalence of chronic daily headache (CDH) in the general community to be approximately 4%. The prevalence of CDH among patients seen in the primary care setting in the United States, however, is unknown. PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence and associated burden of suffering of CDH in a primary care patient population. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of a randomly selected sample of 1500 adult patients in an academic Family Medicine Center was done. Outcome measures include self-reported headache frequency and Headache Impact Test scores. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were returned by 853 (57%) patients. The mean age of respondents was 49 years (SD = 16), with a range of 18 to 94 years. Two hundred ninety-six (58%) patients reported having had 1 or more severe headaches in the past month. Seventy-four (9%) patients reported a frequency of headache consistent with CDH, defined as the occurrence of headache 15 or more days in the past month. Twenty-four patients (32%) with CDH either believed that none of their doctors know that they experienced headaches or were not sure if their doctors were aware of their headaches, and 21 (28%) reported that they have not needed a doctor's care for their headaches. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CDH is greater among a primary care patient population compared to the general community. A substantial proportion of patients with CDH do not bring their headaches to the attention of their health-care providers. In light of the advances in the development of effective medications for migraines and the growing body of evidence implicating medications as a contributing cause of CDH, it may be appropriate to encourage patients to inform their health-care providers about their headaches and to encourage providers to identify patients with frequent headaches.     

Withdrawal therapy improves chronic daily headache associated with long-term misuse of headache medication: a retrospective study

Chronic daily headache (CDH) associated with long-term misuse of headache medication is a common clinical problem which is refractory to most treatments. The present study is a retrospective analysis of the effect of drug withdrawal therapy in patients with CDH and frequent long-term use of headache symptomatic medication. One hundred and one adult patients (74 women and 27 men, aged between 16 and 72 years, mean age 43 years) were evaluated 1-3 months after drug withdrawal therapy had been initiated. The mean headache frequency at baseline was 26.9+/-4.0 days per month. Fifty-seven (56%) patients were significantly improved (defined as at least 50% reduction in number of headache days) after a period of drug withdrawal therapy. Based on the outcome of the drug withdrawal therapy, the patients were divided into three categories: group I, those who had between 0 and 10 headache days per month (n = 41), group II, those who had 11-20 days (n = 37), and group III, those who had 21-30 days (n = 23). The mean headache frequencies in groups I, II and III were 5.6+/-2.8 days, 15.7+/-2.5 days and 28.7+/-2.4 days, respectively. Treatment with amitriptyline was offered to patients in whom no improvement had been achieved. Ten of those 22 patients (36%) experienced a significant (> or = 50%) reduction of headache days. It is concluded that out-patient drug withdrawal therapy is the treatment of choice in patients with CDH and frequent long-term use of headache symptomatic medication, and that about one quarter of these CDH patients do not respond to drug withdrawal therapy only.     

Chronic daily headache in U.S. soldiers after concussion

(Headache 2012;52:732‐738) Objective.— To determine the prevalence and characteristics of, and factors associated with, chronic daily headache (CDH) in U.S. soldiers after a deployment‐related concussion. Methods.— A cross‐sectional, questionnaire‐based study was conducted with a cohort of 978 U.S. soldiers who screened positive for a deployment‐related concussion upon returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. All soldiers underwent a clinical evaluation at the Madigan Traumatic Brain Injury Program that included a history, physical examination, 13‐item self‐administered headache questionnaire, and a battery of cognitive and psychological assessments. Soldiers with CDH, defined as headaches occurring on 15 or more days per month for the previous 3 months, were compared to soldiers with episodic headaches occurring less than 15 days per month. Results.— One hundred ninety‐six of 978 soldiers (20%) with a history of deployment‐related concussion met criteria for CDH and 761 (78%) had episodic headache. Soldiers with CDH had a median of 27 headache days per month, and 46/196 (23%) reported headaches occurring every day. One hundred seven out of 196 (55%) soldiers with CDH had onset of headaches within 1 week of head trauma and thereby met the time criterion for posttraumatic headache (PTHA) compared to 253/761 (33%) soldiers with episodic headache. Ninety‐seven out of 196 (49%) soldiers with CDH used abortive medications to treat headache on 15 or more days per month for the previous 3 months. One hundred thirty out of 196 (66%) soldiers with CDH had headaches meeting criteria for migraine compared to 49% of soldiers with episodic headache. The number of concussions, blast exposures, and concussions with loss of consciousness was not significantly different between soldiers with and without CDH. Cognitive performance was also similar for soldiers with and without CDH. Soldiers with CDH had significantly higher average scores on the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist compared to soldiers with episodic headaches. Forty‐one percent of soldiers with CDH screened positive for PTSD compared to only 18% of soldiers with episodic headache. Conclusions.— The prevalence of CDH in returning U.S. soldiers after a deployment‐related concussion is 20%, or 4‐ to 5‐fold higher than that seen in the general U.S. population. CDH following a concussion usually resembles chronic migraine and is associated with onset of headaches within the first week after concussion. The mechanism and number of concussions are not specifically associated with CDH as compared to episodic headache. In contrast, PTSD symptoms are strongly associated with CDH, suggesting that traumatic stress may be an important mediator of headache chronification. These findings justify future studies examining strategies to prevent and treat CDH in military service members following a concussive injury.     

Managing chronic headaches in the clinic

Chronic daily headache (CDH), which is often linked to a history of migraine, tension-type headache and the abuse of headache medications, and cluster headache are the best known of the chronic headaches. These headaches may not be well recognised or well treated in primary care. This article outlines the development of management algorithms for these headache subtypes, designed for use by the primary care physician with an interest in headache. Principles of care for chronic headaches include implementation of screening procedures, differential diagnosis, tailoring of management to the individual's needs, proactive follow-up and a team approach to care. These principles can be customised to the headache subtype by the selection of appropriate therapies. The optimal treatments for CDH include physical therapy to the neck if there is any stiffness there, withdrawal of abused medications and treatment of any subsequent withdrawal symptoms and headache prophylaxis, together with the provision of acute medications as rescue therapy. Optimal treatments for cluster headache include short- and long-term prophylaxis to prevent the headaches developing and acute medications for use as rescue. If treatment is ineffective, alternative medications can be provided at follow-up, with the possibility of referral for refractory patients.     

Chronic daily headache- one disease or two? Diagnostic role of serum ionized magnesium

The entity of chronic daily headache (CDH) is well documented, but is not included in the current classification. We divided patients with CDH into groups with and without migrainous features. This division resulted in clearly distinguishable syndromes of daily migrainous headaches (DMH) and daily tension-type headaches (DTH). Family history of headaches was more common in patients with DMH. Patients in both groups had a high incidence of caffeine or drug overuse. The clinical division into DMH and DTH was supported by our finding of a higher incidence of disturbed magnesium (Mg) metabolism in patients with DMH. Of 26 patients with DMH, 8 (30.8%) had low serum ionized, but not total, Mg levels, and 16 (61.5%) had high ionized calcium/magnesium ratios. The corresponding numbers for the 22 patients with DTH were 1 (4.5%) and 8 (30.4%). These new laboratory measurements offer possible biological markers for the diagnosis of different headache syndromes.     

Factors associated with the onset and remission of chronic daily headache in a population-based study

The etiology and prognosis of chronic daily headache (CDH) are not well understood. The aim of this study is to describe factors that predict CDH onset or remission in an adult population. Potential cases (180+ headaches per year, n=1134) and controls (two to 104 headaches per year, n=798) were interviewed two times over an average 11 months of follow-up. Factors associated with CDH prevalence at baseline were evaluated. The incidence of CDH and risk factors for onset were assessed in controls whose headache frequency increased to 180+ per year at follow-up. Prognostic factors were assessed in CDH cases whose headache frequency fell at follow-up. CDH was more common in women, in whites, and those of less education. CDH cases were more likely to be previously married (divorced, widowed, separated), obese, and report a physician diagnosis of diabetes or arthritis. At follow-up, 3% of the controls reported 180 or more headaches per year. Obesity and baseline headache frequency were significantly associated with new onset CDH. In CDH cases, the projected 1-year remission rate to less than one headache per week was 14% and to less than 180 headaches per year was 57%. A better prognosis was associated with higher education, non-white race, being married, and with diagnosed diabetes. Individuals with less than a high-school education, whites, and those who were previously married had a higher risk of CDH at baseline and reduced likelihood of remission at follow-up. New onset CDH was associated with baseline headache frequency and obesity.     

Clues in the Differential Diagnosis of Primary vs Secondary Cough,Exercise, and Sexual Headaches

Activity‐related headaches can be provoked by Valsalva maneuvers (“cough headache”), prolonged exercise (“exertional headache”) and sexual excitation (“sexual headache”). These entities are a challenging diagnostic problem as can be primary or secondary and the etiologies for secondary cases differ depending on the headache type. In this paper we review the clinical clues which help us in the differential diagnosis of patients consulting due to activity‐related headaches. Cough headache is the most common in terms of consultation. Primary cough headache should be suspected in patients older than 50 years, if pain does not predominate in the occipital area, if pain lasts seconds, when there are no other symptoms/signs and if indomethacin relieves the headache attacks. Almost half of cough headaches are secondary, usually to a Chiari type I malformation. Secondary cough headache should be suspected in young people, when pain is occipital and lasts longer than one minute, and especially if there are other symptoms/signs and if there is no response to indomethacin. Every patient with cough headache needs cranio‐cervical MRI. Primary exercise/sexual headaches are more common than secondary, which should be suspected in women especially with one episode, when there are other symptoms/signs, in people older than 40 and if the headache lasts longer than 24 hours. These patients must have quickly a CT and then brain MRI with MRA or an angioCT to exclude space‐occupying lesions or subarachnoid hemorrhage.     

Valsalva-induced cluster: a new subtype of cluster headache

We report the case of a man who suffered from Valsalva-induced cluster headaches. The headaches deviated from classic cluster in that they were solely induced by activity involving the Valsalva maneuver, such as coughing and sneezing, and never occurred spontaneously. The attacks were prevented by treatment with indomethacin. This may be the first reported case of cluster that only occurs after a defined trigger and never spontaneously. It also may be the first cluster headache subtype that is indomethacin responsive.     

Chronic daily headache in children and adolescents: a clinic based study from India

Chronic Daily Headache (CDH) is uncommon in Indian children compared to their adult counterpart. This is a retrospective study looking at the headache phenomenology of CDH in Indian children and adolescents. The validity of the case definitions of subtypes of chronic primary headaches mentioned in the IHS 2004 classification have been evaluated. 22 children (age range 8-15 years; M : F-16 : 6) diagnosed as having primary CDH using a modified definition seen between 2002 and 2003 have been studied. CDH has been defined as daily or near daily headaches > 15d/month for > 6 weeks. The rationale for this modified definition has been discussed. Majority of children (15/22) had a more or loss specified time of onset of regular headache spells resembling New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH) but did not fulfil totally the diagnostic criteria of NDPH as laid down by IHS 2004. In all cases headache phenomenology included a significant vascular component. Headache phenomenology closely resembled Chronic Tension Type Headache (CTTH) in 4 patients and Chronic Migraine in 3 patients. However, in no patient in these groups, a history of evolution from the episodic forms of the diseases could be elicited. Heightened level of anxiety mostly related to academic stress and achievement was noted in the majority (19/22). Only a minority of patients (3/22) had anxiety and depression related to interpersonal relationships in the family. Medication overuse was not implicated in any patient. CDH in children in India is very much different from CDH in adults with the vast majority of patients exhibiting overlapping features of migraine and tension-type headache. There is need for a modified diagnostic criteria and terminology for chronic primary headaches in children.     

Chronic headaches: from research to clinical practice

Chronic daily headache (CDH) is a heterogeneous group of headaches that includes primary and secondary varieties. Primary CDH is a frequent entity that probably affects 4–5% of the population. It can be subdivided into headaches of short duration (<4 h/attack) like chronic cluster headache, and disorders of long duration (>4 h/attack). Primary CDH of long duration includes transformed migraine, chronic tension–type headache, and new daily persistent headache and hemicrania continua. Analgesics, ergots and triptan overuse are frequent in all types of CDH. We revise recent insights into the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical characteristics and prognosis of CDH.     

Management of Chronic Daily Headache: Challenges in Clinical Practice

Chronic daily headache (CHD) refers to a category of headache disorders that are characterized by headaches occurring on more than 15 days per month. This category is subdivided into long- and short-duration (>4 or <4 hours) CDH disorders based on the duration of individual headache attacks. Examples of long-duration CDH include transformed migraine (TM), chronic migraine (CM), new daily persistent headache (NDPH), acute medication overuse headache, and hemicrania continua (HC). The goal of this review is to enable clinicians to accurately diagnose and effectively manage patients with long-duration CDH. Patients with CDH often require an aggressive and comprehensive treatment approach that includes a combination of acute and preventive medications, as well as nondrug therapies.     

Major life changes before and after the onset of chronic daily headache: a population-based study

Chronic daily headache (CDH), when defined as ≥ 15 headache days per month, affects 3–5% of the adult population. Major life changes are putative precipitating events for onset of chronic pain, including chronic headache. This study compared the occurrence of specific life events between CDH cases and episodic headache controls in a community sample. CDH cases (180+ headache days per year: n  = 206) and episodic headache controls (2–104 headache days per year: n  = 507) were identified from a randomly selected adult US population. Subjects were interviewed about the occurrence of certain major life changes or events (change of residence, employment status, marital status, related to their children, deaths of relatives or close friends, and 'extremely stressful' ongoing situations) occurring in a defined time period. Events that occurred during the same year or year before frequent headache onset in cases or in an equivalent time period in controls were considered to be antecedent events. Those that occurred after this time were considered subsequent events. Compared with episodic headache controls, CDH cases had more major life changes in the year before or same year as CDH onset. After adjusting for age, gender, headache type and year of event, the odds of CDH increased additionally with each antecedent event [odds ratio (OR) 1.20 (1.1, 1.3), P  < 0.001], but not with subsequent events [OR 0.94 (0.8, 1.1), P  < 0.4]. In secondary analyses, the association between antecedent events and CDH was significant only for the approximately half of CDH cases who were aged ≥ 40 years [OR 1.33 (1.2, 1.50) vs. OR 1.04 (0.9, 1.2), P  < 0.05 for interaction by age]. These results suggest that major life changes are associated with the onset of chronic daily headache, particularly in middle age.     

Chronic daily headache in Taipei, Taiwan: prevalence, follow-up and outcome predictors

We conducted a two-stage population-based headache survey among subjects aged > or = 15 in Taipei, Taiwan. Subjects with chronic daily headache (CDH) in the past year were identified, interviewed and followed-up. CDH was defined as a headache frequency > 15 days/month, with a duration > 4 h/day. Of the 3377 participants, 108 (3.2%) fulfilled the criteria for CDH, with a higher prevalence in women (4.3%) than men (1.9%). TM was the most common subtype (55%), followed by CTTH (44%). Thirty-four per cent of the CDH subjects overused analgesics. At the 2-year follow-up, 35% of the CDH subjects still had CDH. The significant predictors for persistent CDH at follow-up included: older age ( > or = 40 years) (RR = 2.4), CDH onset after 32 years (RR = 1.8), CDH duration > or = 6 years (RR = 2.0), medication overuse (RR = 1.8), and "daily" headache (RR = 2.1). We found that CDH is not uncommon in the community and its prevalence is similar among different populations. Older subjects and those with medication overuse may have a more protracted course of illness.     

Development of chronic daily headache: a clinical study

We studied the development of chronic daily headache in 258 headache practice patients, 50 men and 208 women. Chronic daily headache was defined as headaches occurring at least 5 days per week for at least 1 year. Twenty-two percent of the patients had daily headaches from the onset, and 78% initially experienced intermittent headaches. Of the patients with initially intermittent headaches, 19% experienced an abrupt transition into daily headaches and 81% a gradual one. The distribution of the age of daily headache onset was the same in the patients with daily headaches from the onset and in those with initially intermittent headaches but with abrupt transition into daily headaches. The distribution of the circumstances of daily headache onset was also the same in the groups. The most common circumstance of abrupt onset of daily headaches was head, neck, or back injury, in 61% caused by a motor vehicle accident. In the patients with initially intermittent headaches but with gradual transition into daily headaches, the transition took an average of 10.7 years.     

Primary headaches in HIV-infected patients

Headache in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may indicate life-threatening illnesses such as opportunistic infections or neoplasms. Alternatively, such patients may develop benign self-limiting headaches. Hence, defining the various types of headache in these patients is essential for proper management. This study describes the clinical characteristics of primary headaches occurring in a group of HIV-infected patients. Of 115 patients seen from 1990 to 1996, 44 (38%) had headaches. Primary headaches were present in 29 (66%) patients and secondary causes were identified in 15 (34%). Among those with primary headaches, migraine occurred in 22 (76%), tension-type headache in 4 (14%), and cluster headache in 3 (10%) patients. Half of those with migraine (n=ll), 1 patient with tension-type headache, and 1 patient with cluster headache developed chronic daily headaches which were severe and refractory to conventional headache or antiretroviral therapy. We conclude that primary headaches in patients with HIV infection are: (1) the commonest type of headache; (2) may present for the first time in individuals with severe immunosuppression; (3) usually bear no relationship to antiretroviral drug therapy; (4) polypharmacy, depression, anxiety, and insomnia are commonly associated comorbidities; (5) frequently do not respond to conventional management and carry a poor prognosis; and (6) do not require neuroradiological and/or cerebrospinal fluid evaluations.     

Chronic Headache and Comorbibities: A Two‐Phase,Population‐Based,Cross‐Sectional Study

Background.— Studies using resources of a public family health program to estimate the prevalence of chronic daily headaches (CDH) are lacking. Objectives.— To estimate the 1‐year prevalence of CDH, as well as the presence of associated psychiatric and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) comorbidities, on the entire population of a city representative of the rural area of Brazil. Methods.— This was a cross‐sectional, population‐based, 2‐phase study. In the first phase, health agents interviewed all individuals older than 10 years, in a rural area of Brazil. In the second stage, all individuals who reported headaches on 4 or more days per week were then evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. CDH were classified according to the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD‐2). Medication overuse headache was diagnosed, as per the ICHD‐2, after detoxification trials. Psychiatric comorbidities and TMD were diagnosed based on the DSM‐IV and on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders criteria, respectively. Results.— A total of 1631 subjects participated in the direct interviews. Of them, 57 (3.6%) had CDH. Chronic migraine was the most common of the CDH (21, 36.8%). Chronic tension‐type headache (10, 17.5%), medication overuse headache (13, 22.8%) and probable medication overuse headache (10, 17.5%) were also common. Psychiatric disorders were observed in 38 (67.3%) of the CDH subjects. TMD were seen in 33 (58.1)% of them. Conclusions.— The prevalence of CDH in the rural area of Brazil is similar to what has been reported in previous studies. A significant proportion of them have psychiatric comorbidities and/or TMD. In this sample, comorbidities were as frequent as reported in convenience samples from tertiary headache centers. (Headache 2010;50:1306‐1312)     

Chronic daily headache in children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of children with chronic daily headache (CDH) and examine the usefulness of the International Classification of Headache Disorders-II. BACKGROUND: Few data are available on chronic daily headache and analgesic overuse in children and adolescents and there are no specific criteria for headache in children. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all charts of 79 children and adolescents (<16 years) with headache on > or =15 days/month presenting to the outpatient clinic of the Department of Neurology of the Leiden University Medical Center between 1994 and 2001. We classified their headaches according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-II. RESULTS: Fifty-seven (72%) children had chronic daily headache for more than 6 months, with a duration of more than 4 hours a day in 60% of them. Quality, severity, and location of pain varied. Sixty patients (76%) used analgesics, 10 patients more than one type. Thirteen patients (16%) used analgesics daily. In one-third of patients, headache led to frequent school absenteeism and sleeping problems. Twenty-eight (35%) patients could be classified, 17 patients (22%) as chronic tension-type headache, 5 patients (6%) as chronic migraine, and 6 patients (8%) as probable medication overuse headache. Fifteen patients (19%) did not fit into any category and 36 (46%) could not be classified due to insufficient data. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic daily headache in children is a serious disorder. A relatively large number of patients overuse medication and it leads to frequent school absenteeism and sleeping problems. It remains difficult to classify their headaches with the new criteria for headache disorders.     

Headaches precipitated by cough,prolonged exercise or sexual activity: a prospective etiological and clinical study

Headaches provoked by cough, prolonged physical exercise and sexual activity have not been studied prospectively, clinically and neuroradiologically. Our aim was to delimitate characteristics, etiology, response to treatment and neuroradiological diagnostic protocol of those patients who consult to a general Neurological Department because of provoked headache. Those patients who consulted due to provoked headaches between 1996 and 2006 were interviewed in depth and followed-up for at least 1 year. Neuroradiological protocol included cranio-cervical MRI for all patients with cough headache and dynamic cerebrospinal functional MRI in secondary cough headache cases. In patients with headache provoked by prolonged physical exercise or/and sexual activity cranial neuroimaging (CT and/or MRI) was performed and, in case of suspicion of subarachnoid bleeding, angioMRI and/or lumbar tap were carried out. A total of 6,412 patients consulted due to headache during the 10 years of the study. The number of patients who had consulted due to any of these headaches is 97 (1.5% of all headaches). Diagnostic distribution was as follows: 68 patients (70.1%) consulted due to cough headache, 11 (11.3%) due to exertional headache and 18 (18.6%) due to sexual headache. A total of 28 patients (41.2%) out of 68 were diagnosed of primary cough headache, while the remaining 40 (58.8%) had secondary cough headache, always due to structural lesions in the posterior fossa, which in most cases was a Chiari type I malformation. In seven patients, cough headache was precipitated by treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. As compared to the primary variety, secondary cough headache began earlier (average 40 vs. 60 years old), was located posteriorly, lasted longer (5 years vs. 11 months), was associated with posterior fossa symptoms/signs and did not respond to indomethacin. All those patients showed difficulties in the cerebrospinal fluid circulation in the foramen magnum region in the dynamic MRI study and preoperative plateau waves, which disappeared after posterior fossa reconstruction. The mean age at onset for primary headaches provoked by physical exercise and sexual activity began at the same age (40 years old), shared clinical characteristics (bilateral, pulsating) and responded to beta-blockers. Contrary to cough headache, secondary cases are rare and the most frequent etiology was subarachnoid bleeding. In conclusion, these conditions account for a low proportion of headache consultations. These data show the total separation between cough headache versus headache due to physical exercise and sexual activity, confirm that these two latter headaches are clinical variants of the same entity and illustrate the clinical differences between the primary and secondary provoked headaches.