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Severe motion sickness in infants and children
Sophie Lipson1, Alicia Wang1, Meghan Corcoran1
1Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Insights
Severe motion sickness affects children, including infants. Migraine disorders, vestibular issues, otitis media, and motor delays are common comorbidities. Treatments like cyproheptadine and vestibular rehabilitation show promise for pediatric motion sickness.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Vestibular Disorders
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Severe motion sickness is poorly understood in children, especially infants and toddlers.
- This study addresses the lack of data on pediatric motion sickness risk factors and treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe risk factors and treatment responses in children with severe motion sickness.
- To evaluate the impact of motion sickness in infants and toddlers.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of patients under 18 with motion sickness.
- Data collected from a pediatric vestibular program over a 6-year period.
Main Results:
- 23 pediatric patients with motion sickness were identified.
- Migraine variants (47.8%), vestibular deficits (23.5%), otitis media (39.1%), and motor delay (30.4%) were common comorbidities.
- Meclizine, ondansetron, cyproheptadine, and vestibular rehabilitation showed symptom improvement.
Conclusions:
- Motion sickness can affect children from infancy.
- Comorbidities like migraine, vestibular impairment, otitis media, and motor delay may contribute to pediatric motion sickness.
- Cyproheptadine and vestibular rehabilitation warrant further investigation for treating pediatric motion sickness.
Introduction:
Susceptibility to severe motion sickness has not been well described in the pediatric population, particularly in very young children. This study aimed to describe and evaluate risk factors and treatment responses in a group of children with severe motion sickness, including infants and toddlers.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective review of patients less than 18 years of age seen in our pediatric vestibular program for evaluation of motion sickness over a 6-year period.
Results:
A total of 23 patients with motion sickness were identified. Age of onset ranged from 0 to 15 years old, with a mean age of 6.6 ± 4.2 years. Eleven patients (47.8%) were diagnosed with a migraine variant. Vestibular deficits were identified in four out of 17 patients (23.5%) who underwent formal vestibular testing. Other frequent comorbid conditions included recurrent/chronic otitis media (n = 9; 39.1%) and a history of motor delay (n = 7; 30.4%). A high proportion of patients reported symptom improvement when treated with meclizine, ondansetron, cyproheptadine, or vestibular rehabilitation.
Discussion:
Motion sickness can impact children even in infancy. Common comorbid conditions that may contribute to pediatric motion sickness include migraine disorders, vestibular impairment, otitis media, and motor delay. Treatments such as cyproheptadine and vestibular rehabilitation may be helpful but require further study.
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