Everyone has had a headache and it is principally viewed as an adult disease when, in fact, it frequently occurs in children and adolescents as well.
They are a manifestation of a variety of illnesses, and most of the time don't represent anything significant or chronic.
If headache recurs and becomes a problem, physicians put them into four different types of causes:
Headache due to cranial inflammation like meningitis and arteritis (inflamed artery); headache due to diseases of related structures like eyes, sinuses, nose, and skull; traction headache from pressure like tumors, abscess, hypertension; and vascular and muscular headaches like tension and migraine.
Approximately 2.5% of our school age children experience migraine headaches between seven and nine years with a rise in incident to 5% in the 13 to 15 year old age group.
Classic migraine usually has its onset between 7 and 15 years of age, manifests itself by a prodrome (funny feeling) then a headache phase.
The prodrome is characterized by an y of several different symptoms which then blends into or is replaces by headache.
Typical prodrome symptoms can be: loss of appetite, irritability, nausea and vomiting, restlessness, fluid retention, visual or hearing disturbances, sensory disturbances (tingling pins and needles), un-coordination or weakness of extremities and inability to speak.
Pain is usually one-sided in onset, but can become generalized. It most frequently is described as "throbbing" or pulsating, building slowly and intensity to a peak minutes, hours, or even days later.
When the headache reaches its climax, vomiting commonly develops and then the child experiences relief of pin and sleep.
There are other types of migraine besides classic, namely: Common, Cluster, and Complicated. which are variations of the classic type that I just described.
Why they happen is still a mystery but is felt that for some reason the blood vessels in the head are triggered to go into spasm or vessel constriction. This is followed by a distinct phase of vessel dilation accompanied by headache.
Diagnosis in children who cannot speak is very difficult but as the child becomes older it is important to rule out any of the other causes before you assume that it is a migraine.
Your physician will do a physical examination, take a careful history, and may even run some laboratory tests or x-rays.
If there is any indication that there might be a brain tumor, a head CT scan will probably be performed.
Treatment in children is usually not difficult and consists of rest in a quiet room with mild analgesics (aspirin).
There are some medications (ergotamine) which work by preventing the dilation phase and therefore must be taken at the very first onset of the prodrome or they will not work.
Other medications (like periactin) are used to try and prevent attacks altogether in those children who's headaches are fairly frequent.
The reduction of such precipitating factors as fatigue, foods containing Tyramine (like cheese), flickering or bright lights, lack of nutritious meals, school or peer pressures, or alcohol is essential.
The outcome of migraine children is generally favorable. There seems to be little correlation between the type of migraine, its severity or frequency, and the ultimate outcome.
Studies show that approximately 2/3 of all children with migraines will be improved or symptom free in long term follow-up
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