[How children aged 7 to 11 explain their headache]
Rosana M R Mendonça1, Yára D Fragoso, Ricardo Diniz
1Faculdade de Medicina, UNIMES, Santos, SP, Brazil.
Arquivos De Neuro-Psiquiatria
|August 31, 2004
Summary
Children aged 7-11 can effectively describe their own headaches during medical interviews. Direct patient reporting provides reliable information for diagnosing childhood headaches.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
Context:
- Childhood headache diagnosis often relies on adult accounts.
- Direct patient interviews are crucial for accurate assessment.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the ability of children aged 7-11 to describe their headaches during anamnesis.
- To assess the reliability of self-reported headache characteristics in young patients.
Summary:
- Ninety-four children (7-11 years) underwent two individual assessments by a pediatrician, without adult presence.
- Children provided consistent and detailed headache information when given adequate time and allowed to use their own words.
- Direct patient reporting proved valuable and reliable, contrasting with typical adult-mediated consultations.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of direct patient interviews for childhood headache evaluation.
- Suggests that empowering children to describe their symptoms leads to better diagnostic information.
- Informs clinical practice regarding pediatric headache assessment strategies.
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