Day 227 - New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH)

“In the last few years, New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH) has been recognized as a distinct primary headache syndrome. Primary headache disorders are those for which there is no underlying secondary cause that can be identified.

It is characterized by continuous daily head pain, varying in intensity, and sometimes accompanied by some migrainous symptoms. NDPH is unique, however, in that many patients can tell you the exact date when their headache began.

The diagnostic criteria of NDPH are as follows:

A. Headache for more than 3 months fulfilling criteria B–D
B. Headache is daily and unremitting from onset or from less than 3 days from onset
C. At least two of the following pain characteristics:
1. bilateral location
2. pressing/tightening (non-pulsating) quality
3. mild or moderate intensity
4. not aggravated by routine physical activity such as walking or climbing stairs
D. Both of the following:
1. no more than one of photophobia (increased sensitivity to light), phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound) or mild nausea
2. neither moderate or severe nausea nor vomiting
E. Not attributed to another disorder

Headache may be unremitting from the moment of onset or very rapidly build up to continuous and unremitting pain. Such onset or rapid development must be clearly recalled and unambiguously described by the patient.

Many doctors consider NDPH to be the most treatment refractory (not responsive to treatment) of headache disorders. Unfortunately, NDPH can be very disabling because it often does not respond to preventive or abortive medications.”*

*http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/types-of-headaches-41643-5.html

It’s my birthday today. Back in February, when my headache was in its early stages, I once thought to myself ‘I wonder what I will be doing on my birthday - by then I will surely know what has caused the headache’.

So in a way I have been looking forward to this day, not because it is my birthday as such, but because for the past few months I have convinced myself that by August I would definitely know where the problem lies.

When reading about Hemicrania Continua, I also came across another condition called New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH) which also appears to be similar to what I have.

In 2002, the largest study of New Daily Persistent Headache to date was conducted, based on 56 patients from the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. For me, the most interesting point from the study was that 82% of patients were able to pinpoint the exact day their headache started.

Given that I remember the exact date of the onset of the headache, and that the symptoms described above are also frightfully similar to what I have, this is certainly also another condition I need to look into. What I appear to be inflicted with is a mixture between Hemicrania Continua and NDPH.