OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the evidence for quality of life (QoL) impairment, disability, healthcare resource use, and economic burden associated with chronic daily headache (CDH), particularly chronic migraine (CM). METHODS: Systematic review and qualitative synthesis of studies of patients/subjects with CDH ( ≥15 headache days/month) that included CM, reporting QoL or disability outcomes, healthcare resource utilisation or associated direct costs. RESULTS: 34 studies were included: 25 of patients; 9 of subjects from the general population; 16 reporting QoL and 14 reporting disability outcomes; 4 reporting on healthcare resource utilisation and/or costs. Data were not amenable to statistical pooling. In studies reporting QoL using SF-36 or SF-12 instruments: CDH was consistently associated with lower QoL compared to normative/healthy control (5/5 studies) or episodic headache (EH) (6 /6 studies); 3/ 4 studies showed CDH with migraine was associated with lower QoL than CDH without migraine; 3/5 studies showed CDH with medication overuse headache (MOH) was associated with lower QoL than CDH without MOH; 4/4 studies suggested a significant negative QoL impact when CDH was with a comorbidity. In studies reporting disability using the MIDAS instrument, CDH was consistently associated with greater disability and productivity (D&P) loss than EH (7/7 studies), 1/2 studies showed CDH with migrainous features was associated greater D&P loss than CDH without migraine, 1/1 studies showed CDH with MOH was associated with greater D&P loss than CDH without MOH and 1/1 studies suggested a significant negative impact when CDH was with a named comorbidity. In the two most comprehensively reported economic studies, CDH was associated with more consultations, more or longer hospitalisations and higher direct costs compared to EH. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underline the disabling nature and QoL detriment of CDH, and in particular of CM and CDH with MOH, and negative impact on workplace productivity compared to other headache types.