The Caffeine Connection & Chronic Daily Headache Treatment

Millions of Americans seek headache treatment for what is known as Chronic Daily Headaches. They are excruciating headaches that last for days and return at a moment’s notice. Often, they surface in the teenage years and last through much of adulthood. It’s a condition that has existed for centuries, doctors say, but only recently has it been given a name: “chronic daily headaches,” or CDH, defined as migraines or neck and head squeezing tension headaches that are present 15 or more days each month.

Chronic daily headaches are estimated to affect 2% to 3% of the general population and define a group of patients that require unique diagnostic and management needs. Chronic daily headache treatment is one of the major reasons a patient would seek care from a doctor of chiropractic.

In addition to suffering from the pain, chronic daily headaches significantly affects an individual’s ability to function within the family, in society, and on the job, which adds to the burden of the disorder. In fact, compared to the migraine population, chronic daily headache sufferers are nearly five times as likely to be unemployed.

A new study published by the prestigious medical journal, “Neurology,” has revealed a connection between CDH and caffeine consumption. So before you reach for your next Cup o’ Jo’, here are a few things you may want to know!

To confirm such a hypothesis, researchers recruited population-cases and control subjects from three U.S. metropolitan areas as part of a study designed to address caffeine’s potential involvement in CDH. Control subjects reported two to 104 headache days annually (average: 30 days), while population-cases reported 180 or more headache days per year (average: 260 days). Current and past caffeine consumption was assessed by way of self-report.

25% Of Those In Study Report Taking Pain Medication Daily For Headache Treatment

Results: High caffeine exposure, defined as being in the upper quartile of dietary consumption or using a caffeine-containing over-the-counter medication as a headache treatment, was associated with onset of CDH. Approximately one-fourth of case subjects reported taking pain medication of any type daily for headache treatment in the previous three months.

According to the authors, “High medicinal or dietary caffeine consumption at the time of CDH onset (e.g., pre-CDH consumption) was a modest risk factor for CDH onset. Secondary analyses revealed that pre-CDH caffeine consumption might be an initiating factor in a subset of CDH sufferers, with the high-risk groups being women and those younger than age 40.”

NOTE:
Still need a “pick-me-up” in the morning, but want to wean off caffeine? Try drinking green tea instead, which contains substantially less caffeine than coffee and has been shown to have a host of health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.

References:
1. Scher AI, Stewart WF, Lipton RB. Caffeine as a risk factor for chronic daily headache. A population-based study. Neurology, Dec. 14, 2004;63(11):2022-27.
2. Silberstein SD, Lipton RB, Goadsby PJ. Chronic Daily Headache: Diagnosis and Treatment. In: Headache in Clinical Practice. Isis Medical Media ,Oxford UK. 1998.
3. Mathew NT, Kurman R, Perez F. Intractable chronic daily headache: a persistent neurobehavioral disorder. Cephalalgia 1989; 9(suppl 10): 180-181.

Our Office Specializes In Headache Treatment – Especially Difficult Headache Cases

Our office has had the honor and privilege of helping many people in our wonderful community to overcome their headaches, and most likely we can help you as well. In fact we specialize in the headache treatment of difficult headache cases. If you’re simply tired of experiencing chronic headaches – and you are seeking alternative headache treatment, please call our office today.