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Headache in children with sickle cell disease: prevalence and associated factors

Alison E Niebanck1, Avrum N Pollock, Kim Smith-Whitley

  • 1Duke University School of Medicine, USA.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|June 26, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Headache prevalence in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) is similar to controls, but younger children with SCD experience headaches more often. SCD-specific factors likely contribute to frequent headaches.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Hematology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Headache is a common symptom in children.
  • Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that can affect various organs.
  • Understanding headache prevalence in pediatric SCD is crucial for management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare frequent headache prevalence in children with SCD versus black controls.
  • To identify factors associated with headaches in children with SCD.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study design.
  • Administered headache questionnaire to children with SCD and control subjects.
  • Collected clinical and radiographic data from SCD patient charts.

Main Results:

  • Headache prevalence was similar in SCD (32.4%) and control (27%) groups overall.
  • Younger children (<13 years) with SCD had higher headache frequency than controls (24% vs 9.7%).
  • Associated factors in SCD included older age, vaso-occlusive pain, sleep apnea symptoms, and cerebral vessel stenosis.

Conclusions:

  • Headache prevalence in pediatric SCD is comparable to the general population.
  • Younger children with SCD are more prone to frequent headaches.
  • Headache in SCD is multifactorial, with disease-specific elements playing a role.
Abstract

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