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Prevalence, clinical features and accompanying signs of post-traumatic headache in children
Olga Necajauskaite1, Milda Endziniene, Kristina Jurieniene
1Center of Pediatric Surgery, Vilnius University Children's Hospital, Santariskiu 7, 08406 Vilnius, Lithuania. olgutene@takas.lt
Insights
Headaches are not more common in children after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) than in other injuries. However, headache frequency and dizziness in mTBI patients decrease over time.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Traumatology
- Clinical research
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children can lead to various symptoms, including headaches.
- Understanding the long-term prevalence and characteristics of these symptoms is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and clinical features of headaches in children following mTBI.
- To evaluate the changes in headache symptoms and accompanying signs over time in pediatric mTBI patients.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 301 children (4-16 years) with mTBI and 301 controls with other mild injuries.
- Standardized questionnaires were mailed to parents to gather data on headache characteristics, frequency, and associated symptoms.
- 102 matched pairs were analyzed, with a minimum one-year interval between trauma and examination.
Main Results:
- Headache prevalence was similar between mTBI and control groups (57.3% vs. 49%).
- Frequent headaches (> or =8 days/month) were more common in the mTBI group but decreased significantly over time (43.8% to 12.5%).
- Dizziness was more prevalent in the mTBI group, both with headaches (51.6% vs. 32%) and independently (44.1% vs. 27.5%).
Conclusions:
- Headaches are not more prevalent in children with mTBI compared to other mild injuries.
- The frequency of headaches and the prevalence of dizziness in children with mTBI diminish over time.
Unlabelled:
The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and clinical features of headaches and their accompanying signs in children with mild traumatic brain injury, as well as to evaluate their changes over time.
Material And Methods:
The research involved two groups of 4-16 year-old children: the case group of 301 children who had experienced a single mild traumatic brain injury, and the control group--301 children who had suffered from any other mild body injury without head trauma. Groups were matched according to gender, age, date of admission to hospital. The period between the date of trauma and examination was at least one year (median 7 months). Standardized questionnaires were sent by post to parents from both groups. Parents were asked about character, frequency, dizziness and concomitant symptoms. In total, 102 matched pairs were analyzed.
Results:
During the year before the filling in the questionnaires 114 (57.3%) parents indicated headaches: 64 (62.7%) in the case, and 50 (49%) in control group. Frequent (> or =8 days per month) headaches prevailed in children with mild traumatic brain injury (p=0.039); however, their prevalence decreased from 43.8% to 12.5% (p=0.01) with increasing time interval between the date of trauma and the inquiry. By the character, duration, intensity of the headaches, none of the features (except dizziness) showed any difference between the groups. Thirty-three (51.6%) parents from the case and 16 (32%) from the control group indicated that dizziness accompanied headaches (p=0.036). Forty-five (44.1%) parents from the case group and 28 (27.5%) parents from the control group indicated that dizziness appeared separately from headaches (p=0.013). According to the data for the last month before the inquiry, there was no statistically significant difference between both groups when estimating the dynamics in time.
Conclusions:
Headaches are not more prevalent in children with mild traumatic brain injury, compared to children with other mild body injuries. The frequency of headaches, as well as the prevalence of dizziness in children with mild traumatic brain injury decreases with time.
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