Chronic daily headaches in adolescents

Good news for adolescents with chronic daily headaches (CDH) was reported by Taiwanese researchers followed 122 kids, aged 12 to 14 who were diagnosed with this condition.  A year later 40% still had CDH, and after 2 years, 25% had symptoms of CDH.  They followed 103 of the original 122 for 8 years and found that only 12% still had daily headaches with 10 out of 12 diagnosed as having chronic migraines.  This is what we see in practice, but now we have good evidence and can be more certain when we tell our adolescent patients and their parents that they will “grow out” of their headaches.  Another piece of good news was that most kids were not actively treated and headaches improved on their own.  However, it may take months or years for headaches to improve and we should not just sit and wait while the child suffers.  Active treatment includes sleep hygiene, regular exercise, avoiding dietary triggers, biofeedback or relaxation training, magnesium, CoQ10 and other supplements, possibly acupuncture, Botox injections and medications.