Chronic daily headache in pediatric practice

Improving the quality of life of the patient presenting with chronic daily headache proves to be challenging both diagnostically and with regard to their short- and long-term management. Continued progress has been made in the classification of chronic daily headache. The extent to which an initial evaluation should be conducted to obtain a diagnosis is a paramount consideration for both the patient and the family. The introduction of disability tools targeted for this population, both in use and under evaluation, will assist in both the initial assessment and in guiding management. The chronic daily headache patient in most cases requires both a non-pharmacological and a pharmacological approach with clearly defined short- and long-term goals. The management of the expectations of both the patient and family are the key to a good outcome.