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Pediatric Headache Patients Are at High Risk of Vitamin D Insufficiency

Éloïse R Deschênes1,2, Jeffrey Do3, Anne Tsampalieros2

  • 1Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Journal of Child Neurology
|October 9, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children with headaches show higher rates of vitamin D insufficiency compared to those with epilepsy. Further research is needed to explore vitamin D supplementation for pediatric headaches.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Vitamin D deficiency is linked to headaches in adults, but pediatric data is limited.
  • Understanding vitamin D status in children with headaches is crucial for potential interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine and compare serum vitamin D levels in children experiencing headaches versus those with epilepsy.
  • To identify the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in these pediatric groups.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in children aged 2-17 years.
  • Comparison between children with headaches (n=117) and children with epilepsy (n=236).
  • Vitamin D insufficiency defined as serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L.

Main Results:

  • Children with headaches had a median serum 25(OH)D of 56 nmol/L, compared to 70 nmol/L in children with epilepsy.
  • Vitamin D insufficiency was significantly higher in children with headaches (42%) than in those with epilepsy (25%) (P=.002).
  • Adjusted analysis revealed lower vitamin D levels in children with headaches (average 9 nmol/L lower; P=.029).

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric headaches are associated with a higher prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency.
  • Further prospective studies are warranted to investigate the therapeutic potential of vitamin D supplementation for pediatric headaches.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrenepilepsyheadachemigraineother

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