[Chronic daily headache and medication-induced headache].

Chronic daily headache (CDH) and medication-induced headache are refractory headaches to treatment. I evaluate the classification and pharmacological treatment of CDH and medication-induced headache. The subjects of this study are 508 patients with CDH (out of 2,241 patients with chronic headache who were examined and treated in Toyonaka Municipal Hospital for six years from November 1997 to October 2003). CDH was classified into three types of chronic migraine in 232 cases (45.7%), chronic tension-type headache in 223 cases (43.9%) and new daily-persistent headache in 53 cases (10.4%). 245 cases overused medication (analgesic in 230 cases, ergotamine in eight cases and triptan in seven cases). 108 cases abused medication (analgesic in 95 cases, ergotamine in seven cases and triptan in six cases). For treatment, muscle relaxants, calcium-channel blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antiepleptic drugs and leukotriene receptor antagonists were administered to 231 patients for two months from September to October 2003. Awareness of CDH and medication-induced headache is important to physicians who treat patients with headache.