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Use of health care services in childhood migraine
L Metsähonkala1, M Sillanpää, J Tuominen
1Department of Child Neurology, Turku University Hospital, Finland.
Insights
This study followed children diagnosed with migraine, finding that over half still experienced symptoms in adolescence. Factors like aura and frequent attacks influenced healthcare consultations for childhood migraine.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood migraine affects a significant portion of the pediatric population.
- Understanding healthcare service utilization is crucial for managing pediatric migraine.
- Longitudinal data provides insights into the progression and impact of childhood migraine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utilization of healthcare services among children with migraine.
- To identify factors associated with seeking medical consultation for headache in children.
- To analyze the impact of migraine on school attendance in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A representative population sample of 53 children with migraine was studied.
- Children were diagnosed with migraine based on International Headache Society criteria.
- Clinical examinations were conducted at ages 11-13 years to assess migraine persistence and healthcare consultations.
Main Results:
- Migraine persisted in 62.4% of children by early adolescence.
- 51.8% of children with persistent migraine consulted a doctor for headache.
- Aura symptoms, maximal attack frequency, nausea, and densely populated areas were linked to higher consultation rates.
Conclusions:
- Childhood migraine often persists into adolescence, impacting quality of life.
- Specific migraine characteristics and demographic factors influence healthcare-seeking behavior in pediatric patients.
- Increased healthcare consultations correlate with missed school days due to headache, highlighting the burden of pediatric migraine.
Abstract:
The use of health care services in childhood migraine was studied in a representative population sample of 53 children with migraine. These children belong to a 1-year age cohort that has been followed since birth. Migraine was diagnosed at the age of 8 to 9 years according to the International Headache Society criteria of migraine in 95 of 3580 children (2.7%). At the time of the present study, 84 of the 95 children were clinically examined at the age of 11 to 13 years. Fifty-three of them (62.4%) still had migraine and 32 did not. Of these 53 children, 31 (51.8%) had consulted a doctor because of headache. The most important factors linked to the consultation rate were aura symptoms and maximal frequency of attacks. The children who had consulted a doctor more often had nausea and more often came from densely populated areas. They had missed school days more often because of headache than those who had not consulted a doctor.