Gary E. Ruoff, MD

Chronic primary daily headache may not be a singular disorder but rather one with various subtypes. Chronic migraine (also referred to as evolved migraine or transformed migraine), chronic tension-type headache, newly defined daily persistent headache, hemicrania continua, and post-traumatic headache are now recognized as subcategories of chronic daily headache

In most patients who seek treatment for headache, the cause is benign (primary headache). More worrisome, however, both to the patient and the physician, is the secondary or organic headache, which may be associated with significant morbidity or even mortality.

Most patients who seek treatment for headache have the benign type-usually migraine, tension, or cluster headache. This review looks at what distinguishes benign-type headache from the more worrisome secondary organic-type headache.