New Daily Persistent Headache Pain: Diagnosing a New Condition

New Daily Persistent Headache Pain (NDPH) is a relatively new condition, and one in which there is not a lot of solid information on. The reason I am even aware of such a condition is because I have a close friend who actually suffers from this very diagnosis. She suffers in her only silent pain each and every day. She has gone for many treatments and exams and has stopped at nothing to find an answer, but as such has not had any relief even to this day. She is now in her fourth year with a pain that never ends. She has shown strength and bravery beyond what any one of her age should ever have to. This article is to make others aware of the terrible pain and hopelessness that these patients live with, and the hope that one day a cure will be found.

To be diagnosed with NDPH you must have daily headaches for three continuous months or more. It begins with a headache that begins one day that does not go away. It often starts as a mild to moderate head pain and intensifies as time passes. Some other common symptoms of NDPH are a bilateral location, a pressing and tightening quality, and a mild nausea that varies from day-to-day.

Women are mainly affected by this condition and usually between the ages of 19-25. There is no known cause for NDPH and no known duration of time. It can last for months to decades in duration, which is why so many people affected begin to lose hope as time passes. Some people find that afters years or decades it mysteriously disappears, just as it began, and to this day there is no known reason for this.

There is no known treatment for NDPH and even with various and aggressive treatments the pain is not lessened. The condition seems to have a mind of it's own that the human race has not uncovered the secret to. Each day is different and some days will be more painful than others for the patient. NDPH can be extremely disabling because it does not respond to any known medications at this point. Unfortunately, as patients often try so many different medications in the hopes that they will find one that works it often ends on the patient becoming addicted to such medications, and as such having to go through a withdrawal process to wean themselves off such a reliance. Often the medications do more harm than good making it a difficult condition to control or improve.

Sadly, many people who suffer from NDPH take their own lives as they can no longer bear the endlessness of such a condition. With no hope or light at the end of the tunnel the pain and hopelessness becomes too much for them to handle. As sad as it is, the friends and family of such a sufferer can't help but understand when seeing them live through the daily pain. It is a silent but persistent threat that is hard to explain to any one person.

My friend is still suffering in pain. She has lost weight and she has lost that sparkle and vibrant personality that once defined who she was. New Daily Persistent Headache Pain has taken that away from her. NDPH is largely unresearched, and It is my hope that people will begin to take this condition and do the research and testing that is so desparately needed for those suffering with it.

To all who suffer, keep on trucking because you are all brave and strong beyond words.

References:

http://headaches.about.com/od/otherheadpain/a/ndph.htm

http://www.current-reports.com/article.cfm?PubID=PA07-3-2-04&KeyWords=&Type=Abstract&CFID=11662410&CFTOKEN=47554595