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Recurrent headache in children
Insights
Migraine is the most common cause of recurrent headaches in children, affecting 46% of cases. Tension headaches are also prevalent, potentially linked to increased stress in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Pediatrics
Background:
- Headache is a frequent symptom in pediatric hospital settings.
- Causes of pediatric headache can be primary or secondary.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify common causes of recurrent headaches in children.
- To categorize headache types based on International Headache Society criteria.
Main Methods:
- A study included 100 children aged 3-14 years.
- Children with secondary headaches were excluded.
- Clinical characteristics were analyzed to classify headache types.
Main Results:
- Migraine was the most common type (46%).
- Tension headache followed (31%), with psychogenic and mixed types also noted.
- Female preponderance observed in adolescent migraine patients.
Conclusions:
- Migraine is the leading cause of recurrent headaches in children.
- Tension headache prevalence is a growing concern in pediatric populations.
- Increased environmental stress may contribute to tension headaches in children.
Abstract:
Headache is a common symptom in paediatric hospital practice, the causes may be primary or secondary. A study was conducted in department of paediatrics from May 2005 to February 2007 in order to find out common causes for recurrent headache in children. A total of hundred children in age range of 3-14 years were included in the study. Children with secondary headache were excluded from the study. Various clinical characteristics were studied and based on these, types of headache were categorised using International Headache Society criteria. The most common type of headache observed was migraine (46%) followed by tension headache (31%), psychogenic headache (8%), mixed migraine and tension headache (7%) and other non-specific recurrent headaches (8%). There was clear cut female preponderance in adolescent patients having migraine. Tension headache is becoming a matter of concern in paediatric age group probably due to more competitive and stressful environment.
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