Chronic Daily Headache

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By definition, chronic daily headaches occur 15 or more days per month for at least 3 months. But, as the name suggests, some headache patients suffer almost daily with headaches.

Risk factors for developing CDH:

  • Previous history of frequent headaches

  • Women

  • Obesity

  • History of minor head trauma

  • Association with psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety

  • Major life changes

  • Sleep changes

  • Smoking


CDH does not fit into any specific criteria, but the major primary headaches can become CDH. These include:

  • Chronic migraine (CM)

  • Chronic tension-type headache (CTTH)

  • New daily persistent headache (NDPH)

  • Hemicrania continua

  • Medication overuse headache (MOH)


Chronic migraine Patients who suffer from episodic migraine can develop chronic migraines, where the headaches occur for more than 8 days per month. The other characteristics of the pain and associated symptoms are similar to the episodic migraine.