The Enigma of New Daily Persistent Headache: What Solutions for Pediatric Age?

Purpose of review: To analyze systematically the evidence currently available from the literature regarding the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of new daily persistent headache (NDPH). Recent findings: NDPH is a primary headache characterized by an abrupt onset with continuous daily pain that can persist for many months. Although self-limiting forms have been described, NDPH is frequently associated with high disability even in children and adolescents. For this reason, it is very important to recognize it from a diagnostic point of view and to treat it. Summary: We found little specific data on NDPH in developmental age. Most of the therapy studies have been conducted on adults with conflicting data. Currently, pediatric NDPH therapy is based on experiences in adult patients and in individuals with other forms of primary chronic headache, hence the need for more pediatric studies to fill this information gap.