Categories of chorionic headache

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categories of chronic headache classification IHS ICHD

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I have enough information to give a thorough answer. Note: the user likely meant "chronic headache" (not "chorionic headache" - chorionic refers to placental tissue and has no headache context). Here is the comprehensive answer:

I think you mean "chronic headache" - "chorionic" refers to placental tissue, so that combination has no clinical meaning. Here is a full breakdown of headache categories, with emphasis on the chronic forms.

Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3)

The International Headache Society (IHS) classifies all headaches into three main parts:

PART I - Primary Headaches

These are disorders in their own right - head pain occurs without an underlying structural or systemic cause.

Type	Population prevalence
Tension-type headache	~69%
Migraine	~16%
Idiopathic stabbing headache	~2%
Exertional headache	~1%
Cluster headache	~0.1%

The four main categories under ICHD-3:

Migraine - with/without aura, chronic migraine (≥15 days/month)
Tension-type headache (TTH) - infrequent episodic, frequent episodic, chronic (≥15 days/month)
Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs) - cluster headache, paroxysmal hemicrania, SUNCT/SUNA, hemicrania continua
Other primary headache disorders - cough headache, exercise headache, thunderclap headache, hypnic headache, etc.

PART II - Secondary Headaches

Headache is a symptom of an underlying disorder. ICHD-3 lists 8 categories:

Headache attributed to trauma/injury to head or neck
Headache attributed to cranial or cervical vascular disorder (e.g., subarachnoid hemorrhage, carotid dissection)
Headache attributed to non-vascular intracranial disorder (e.g., raised ICP, brain tumor)
Headache attributed to a substance or its withdrawal (medication overuse headache is the most clinically important)
Headache attributed to infection (meningitis, encephalitis)
Headache attributed to disorder of homeostasis (hypoxia, hypertension, dialysis)
Headache or facial pain attributed to disorders of the cranium, neck, eyes, ears, nose, sinuses, teeth, or mouth
Headache attributed to psychiatric disorder

PART III - Neuropathies and Facial Pains

Painful lesions of cranial nerves (e.g., trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia)
Other facial pain disorders

Chronic Daily Headache (CDH) - Specific Categories

CDH is a descriptive term for headache occurring ≥15 days/month. It is divided by episode duration:

Long-duration (>4 hours per episode):

Chronic migraine (CM) - most common; requires ≥15 headache days/month for >3 months, with ≥8 days/month meeting migraine criteria
Chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) - bilateral, pressing/tightening, mild-moderate intensity
Hemicrania continua - strictly unilateral, continuous, with ipsilateral autonomic features; responds to indomethacin
New daily persistent headache (NDPH) - daily from onset within 24 hours, persisting >3 months in a person with no prior headache history

Short-duration (<4 hours per episode):

Cluster headache (chronic subtype = no remission >1 year)
Paroxysmal hemicrania (chronic subtype)
Hypnic headache
SUNCT (short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing)

Important note on "chronic": In CM and CTTH, "chronic" means frequency ≥15 days/month. In cluster headache and paroxysmal hemicrania, "chronic" means duration ≥1 year without remission (or remissions <3 months).

Medication overuse headache (MOH) - technically secondary (ICHD-3 code 8.2), but frequently coexists with CM and must be managed simultaneously. It develops when acute headache medications are overused for >10-15 days/month.

Sources: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine 22e, Ch. 17; Bradley & Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice, CDH chapter; ICHD-3 (IHS 2018)

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