Children and adolescents with chronic daily headache

Chronic daily headache is a significant problem in children and adolescents. The goal of this review is to paint a picture of this malady. The epidemiology is unclear because definitions have not been uniform. Classification systems reflect what is known in adults. Because the disease duration and the transformation period are so different in children with this disorder, shoehorning children into adult criteria may be problematic. Nevertheless, this article presents an approach to diagnosis and treatment based on what is present in the literature, what has worked with adults, and the consensus among pediatric headache practitioners. Because there is little literature on this subject, the review ends with a series of questions for future study.