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Approach to the Diagnosis of Pediatric Headache
Kelsey Merison1, M Cristina C Victorio1
1NeuroDevelopmental Science Center Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, OH.
Insights
Evaluating headaches in children and adolescents requires ruling out serious causes. A thorough history, recognizing red flags, and physical exams are key to diagnosis and determining further testing needs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Diagnosis
Background:
- Headaches are a frequent concern in pediatric populations.
- Etiologies range from benign to life-threatening, causing significant patient and parental anxiety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the essential components for evaluating headaches in children and adolescents.
- To emphasize the importance of excluding secondary causes of headache.
Main Methods:
- Detailed headache history taking.
- Recognition of specific headache patterns and "red flag" symptoms.
- Comprehensive physical and neurological examinations.
Main Results:
- Diagnostic approach prioritizes exclusion of secondary headache causes.
- History, pattern recognition, and examination identify patients needing further investigation.
- Guidelines for neuroimaging and ancillary testing are considered.
Conclusions:
- A systematic evaluation is crucial for accurate headache diagnosis in pediatric patients.
- Early identification of serious underlying conditions is paramount.
Abstract:
Headache in children and adolescents is a common symptom that can be worrisome to patients, their parents and clinicians due to the myriad of underlying etiologies, both benign and life-threatening. The evaluation of headache must be directed primarily to exclude secondary causes. A detailed headache history, recognition of headache patterns and red flags and thorough physical and neurological examinations are essential in the diagnosis; and identifies patients requiring further workup. Considerations for neuroimaging and ancillary testing are also discussed.
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