children and headaches

 For an adult, dealing with the anguish of a headache that just won't go away is always hard. But that anguish takes on a new meaning when a child is the one suffering from headache pain. Childhood stress, such as the first day of school or the awkwardness of trying to meet new friends, leaves children just as susceptible to headaches as adults. 

Most headaches affecting children are classified as either tension or migraine. Tension headaches are the most common and are said to affect 40 percent of all children by age seven.

June 3-9 is Headache Awareness Week, and pediatric neurologist Chris Miller, M.D. at East Tennessee Children's Hospital offers the following information about children and headaches.

"Headaches in children are characterized by long duration with frequent sharp pain and may be related to stress, depression and anxiety," Dr. Miller said. "The intensity of these headaches is moderate to severe when frequent, and mild to moderate when rare."

Peer pressure, school phobia and family problems are typical environmental factors attributed to the onset of tension headaches. Many physicians believe that family counseling and changes in the child's school or home environment are the best remedies.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, stress or tension headaches represent the majority of all headaches experienced by children.

Migraines, on the other hand, are not commonly related to tension and usually require more treatment. Migraines are said to make up 40 percent of all chronic headaches in children and affect five percent of all children. These headaches are often characterized by accompanied abdominal discomfort, throbbing pain in one or both sides of the head, and severe pain, which is relieved by sleep. The intensity of migraine headaches is described as moderate to severe with a duration rarely lasting more than 24 hours.

According to Miller, contributing factors to migraine headaches may include sensitivity to certain foods, light or loss of sleep. Also, there is often a strong family history of the condition. Similar symptoms in parents or grandparents can be found in 75 percent of childhood migraine patients.

Over-the-counter medications are often effective for minor headaches. However, frequent use of these medications may be an indication of a more significant problem. In addition, aspirin has been linked to the cause of Reye's Syndrome, a rare brain disease in children, and parents should use caution when giving their children aspirin.

Although we think of headaches as a natural problem everyone must deal with at one time or another, some symptoms might be the result of a more serious condition. Headaches that are accompanied by vomiting, changes in vision, fever, neck pain or sleeping problems may be signs of a serious neurological disorder. A child with these symptoms should be seen by a pediatrician if the symptoms persist longer than several days at a time.

For more information on Headache Awareness Week, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site at www.aap.org, the Children's Hospital Web site at www.etch.com or contact the Children's Hospital Community Relations Department at (865) 541-8165.

East Tennessee Children's Hospital is a private, independent, not-for-profit pediatric medical center which has served the East Tennessee region for 70 years and is certified by the state of Tennessee as a Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Center.