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Headaches in Pediatric Patients during the Past Decade: Comparative Analysis by Age Group from a Multicenter Study in
Eu Gene Park1,2, Seung Beom Han1, Jin Lee1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Pediatric headaches vary by age. Primary headaches are more common in adolescents, while secondary headaches are more frequent in preschoolers. Understanding these differences aids diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Epidemiology
Background:
- Headache is a frequent complaint in children and adolescents.
- Accurate diagnosis relies on understanding pediatric headache characteristics.
- This study examined clinical features by etiology and age group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate clinical characteristics of pediatric headaches.
- To analyze differences based on underlying etiology.
- To compare headache features across different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 3374 pediatric patient records (2012-2023).
- Categorization into primary headache (PH) and secondary headache (SH).
- Analysis of data from two medical centers.
Main Results:
- Primary headaches more prevalent in adolescents (40.1%) vs. preschoolers (22.9%).
- Secondary headaches more prevalent in preschoolers (37.5%) vs. adolescents (16.3%).
- Infections common cause in younger children; vascular/psychiatric disorders more frequent in adolescents.
Conclusions:
- Etiology and age-specific differences are key for accurate pediatric headache diagnosis.
- Tailoring diagnostic approaches improves patient outcomes.
- Recognizing age-related patterns is crucial for timely and effective treatment.
Background:
Headache is a common complaint during childhood and adolescence. It is important to be aware of the characteristics of pediatric headaches in order to make a precise and timely diagnosis. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of pediatric headaches according to the underlying etiology and age group.
Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 3374 pediatric patients (2667 with primary headache [PH] and 707 with secondary headache [SH]) who presented with headaches at two centers between January 2012 and November 2023.
Results:
The incidence of PH was significantly higher in adolescents (40.1% vs. 22.9%), whereas that of SH was considerably higher in preschoolers (37.5% vs. 16.3%) (p < 0.001). The prevalence of headaches attributed to infection was significantly higher in preschool and school-aged children (90.8% vs. 80.2%, p < 0.001); adolescents exhibited significantly higher frequencies of cranial and cervical vascular disorders (3.7% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.044) and psychiatric disorders (5.6% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were observed between preschool/school-aged children and adolescents in terms of headache characteristics and the prevalence of headache-associated symptoms (60.4% vs. 74.1%, p < 0.001 in PH), neurologic abnormalities (10.2% vs. 23.6%, p < 0.001 in PH; 2.4% vs. 11.7%, p < 0.001 in SH), and headache triggers (19.9% vs. 24.2%, p = 0.008 in PH; 2.0% vs. 8.0%, p < 0.001 in SH).
Conclusions:
Recognizing the etiology and age-specific differences in the clinical characteristics of headaches is crucial for an accurate and timely diagnosis. Tailoring the diagnostic approach accordingly helps to achieve optimal outcomes in pediatric patients with headaches.
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