Pediatric neurology
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This study asked what incites the development of a new daily persistent headache in children. A total of 175 children with chronic daily headache were prospectively identified and observed by the author. Of these patients, 40 (23%) with a new daily persistent headache were identified. ⋯ Four patients were initially identified as having idiopathic intracranial hypertension, yet their chronic headache persisted despite the normalization of their intracranial pressure. Similar findings were observed in episodic migraine patients who abruptly developed the onset of chronic migraine. In conclusion, the onset of new daily persistent headache in childhood is typically associated with a physiologic stress such as an infection, head trauma, or post-surgery.