Brooke L Reidy1, Emily J Riddle2,3,4, Scott W Powers1,3,5, Shalonda K Slater1,3,5, Joanne Kacperski3,4,5, Marielle A Kabbouche3,4,5, Andrew D Hershey3,4,5. 1. Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. 2. Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA. 3. Cincinnati Children's Headache Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. 4. Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. 5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the headache characteristics and functional disability of a large sample of treatment-seeking youth with continuous headache and compare these factors across diagnostic subgroups of chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache. METHODS: This retrospective study utilized clinical information (e.g. diagnosis, headache features, medication overuse, functional disability) from a large data repository of patients initially presenting to a multidisciplinary headache center with continuous headache. Patient inclusion in subgroup analyses for chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache was based on clinician diagnosis using International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria. RESULTS: The current sample included 1170 youth (mean age = 13.95 years, 78.8% female) with continuous headache. The overwhelming majority of these youth had headaches with migrainous features, regardless of their clinical diagnosis. Youth with chronic migraine reported a longer history of continuous headache symptoms and earlier age of headache onset than youth with new daily persistent headache and were more likely to have medication overuse. Most youth with continuous headache experienced severe migraine-related functional disability, regardless of diagnostic subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, youth with continuous chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache did not have clinically meaningful differences in headache features and associated disability. Findings suggest that chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache may be variants of the same underlying disease.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the headache characteristics and functional disability of a large sample of treatment-seeking youth with continuous headache and compare these factors across diagnostic subgroups of chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache. METHODS: This retrospective study utilized clinical information (e.g. diagnosis, headache features, medication overuse, functional disability) from a large data repository of patients initially presenting to a multidisciplinary headache center with continuous headache. Patient inclusion in subgroup analyses for chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache was based on clinician diagnosis using International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria. RESULTS: The current sample included 1170 youth (mean age = 13.95 years, 78.8% female) with continuous headache. The overwhelming majority of these youth had headaches with migrainous features, regardless of their clinical diagnosis. Youth with chronic migraine reported a longer history of continuous headache symptoms and earlier age of headache onset than youth with new daily persistent headache and were more likely to have medication overuse. Most youth with continuous headache experienced severe migraine-related functional disability, regardless of diagnostic subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, youth with continuous chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache did not have clinically meaningful differences in headache features and associated disability. Findings suggest that chronic migraine and new daily persistent headache may be variants of the same underlying disease.