WHAT IS NDPH (NEW DAILY PERSISTENT HEADACHE)?
NDPH (New Daily Persistent Headache) is characterized by a distinct and clearly remembered onset of a continuous daily headache, and it must be present for more than 3 months. NDPH is discussed in much greater detail here.
Many times, the patient comes into the office and gives the specific date that the headache began. For example, they may say something like "I woke up on August 17th 2008 with a headache and it has been there every day since". Testing by brain imaging and labs should all be normal and show no cause. This is understandably frustrating for the patient since all testing is typically normal (as it is in migraine and most types of headaches). In general, the pain of NDPH lacks specific characteristic features. It commonly has migraine or tension-type headache features, and often overlapping features of both. It typically fluctuates in intensity but can also be a persistent flat unchanging type of headache. It is defined by it's abrupt onset and persistence as a daily continuous headache for more than 3 months without any causes identified.
WHAT CAUSES NDPH (NEW DAILY PERSISTENT HEADACHE)?
As mentioned above, there should be no causes identified per the definition of NDPH. If there is a cause identified, than the NDPH diagnosis is changed to the suspected cause found. The most common scenarios in which NDPH begins is in the setting of some nonspecific viral infection such as the common cold, upper respiratory infection, flu, gastroenteritis, or some other unspecified infection. It also commonly presents in the setting of a period of high emotional stress. However, it most commonly presents with nothing new correlating with the timing, and no association with anything at all.
IF YOU HAVE HEADACHE, MIGRAINE, OR FACIAL PAIN AND ARE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS ON ANYTHING RELATED TO IT, A HEADACHE SPECIALIST IS HERE TO HELP, FOR FREE!
FIRST, LET’S DECIDE WHERE TO START:
IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING HEADACHE, MIGRAINE, OR FACIAL PAIN DIAGNOSIS AND ARE LOOKING FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION, HOT TOPICS, AND TREATMENT TIPS, VISIT OUR FREE BLOG OF HOT TOPICS AND HEADACHE TIPS HERE. THIS IS WHERE I WRITE AND CONDENSE A BROAD VARIETY OF COMMON AND COMPLEX MIGRAINE AND HEADACHE RELATED TOPICS INTO THE IMPORTANT FACTS AND HIGHLIGHTS YOU NEED TO KNOW, ALONG WITH PROVIDING FIRST HAND CLINICAL EXPERIENCE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A HEADACHE SPECIALIST.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE AN EXISTING HEADACHE, MIGRAINE, OR FACIAL PAIN DIAGNOSIS AND ARE LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE TYPES OF HEADACHES OR FACIAL PAINS BASED ON YOUR SYMPTOMS, USE THE FREE HEADACHE AND FACIAL PAIN SYMPTOM CHECKER TOOL DEVELOPED BY A HEADACHE SPECIALIST NEUROLOGIST HERE!
IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING HEADACHE, MIGRAINE, OR FACIAL PAIN DIAGNOSIS AND ARE LOOKING FOR FURTHER EDUCATION AND SELF-RESEARCH ON YOUR DIAGNOSIS, VISIT OUR FREE EDUCATION CENTER HERE.