Most people have headaches from time to time.
If you have a headache more days than not, you might have chronic daily headaches.
Symptoms
By definition, chronic daily headaches occur 15 days or more a month, for longer than three months.
True (primary) chronic daily headaches aren't caused by another condition.
There are short-lasting and long-lasting chronic daily headaches.
Long-lasting headaches last more than four hours. They include:
- Chronic migraine
- Chronic tension-type headache
- New daily persistent headache
- Hemicrania continua
- Chronic migraine
Chronic migraine
This type typically occurs in people with a history of episodic migraines. Chronic migraines tend to:
- Affect one side or both sides of your head
- Have a pulsating, throbbing sensation
- Cause moderate to severe pain
- Nausea, vomiting or both
- Sensitivity to light and sound
Chronic tension-type headache
These headaches tend to:
- Affect both sides of your head
- Cause mild to moderate pain
- Cause pain that feels pressing or tightening, but not pulsating
New daily persistent headache
These headaches come on suddenly, usually in people without a headache history.
They become constant within three days of your first headache. They:
- Often affect both sides of your head
- Cause pain that feels like pressing or tightening, but not pulsating
- Cause mild to moderate pain
- Might have features of chronic migraine or chronic tension-type headache
Hemicrania continua
These headaches:
- Affect only one side of your head
- Are daily and continuous with no pain-free periods
- Cause moderate pain with spikes of severe pain
- Respond to the prescription pain reliever indomethacin (Indocin)
- Can become severe with development of migraine-like symptoms
In addition, hemicrania continua headaches are associated with at least one of the following:
- Tearing or redness of the eye on the affected side
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
- Drooping eyelid or pupil narrowing
- Sensation of restlessness
When to see a doctor
Occasional headaches are common, and usually require no medical attention.
However, consult your doctor if:
- You usually have two or more headaches a week
- You take a pain reliever for your headaches most days
- You need more than the recommended dose of over-the-counter pain remedies to relieve your headaches
- Your headache pattern changes or your headaches worsen
- Your headaches are disabling
Seek prompt medical care if your headache:
- Is sudden and severe
- Accompanies a fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking
- Follows a head injury
- Gets worse despite rest and pain medication
Causes
The causes of many chronic daily headaches aren't well-understood. True (primary) chronic daily headaches don't have an identifiable underlying cause.
Conditions that might cause nonprimary chronic daily headaches include:
- Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke
- Infections, such as meningitis
- Intracranial pressure that's either too high or too low
- Brain tumor
- Traumatic brain injury
Factors associated with developing frequent headaches include: Female sex, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, obesity, snoring, overuse of caffeine, overuse of headache medication, other chronic pain conditions.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-daily-headaches/symptoms-causes/syc-20370891
