Headache in children: causes, symptoms and treatment

Despite the long-existing allegations that the children are not found primary headaches, today proved that young patients almost with the same frequency as adults, suffer from cephalgia (primary and symptomatic). The term cephalalgia imply any unpleasant sensations in the head area from the zygomatic arches to the occipital region.

Headache accompanied by more than 50 diseases in children. In this case we are talking about secondary cephalgia, which predominates in childhood. According to statistics, by the age of 7 years headache is experiencing approximately 40% of children, and by 14 she met almost 75%.

If the child has a headache, it doesn't necessarily have to remain without attention of parents and doctors, especially, should be alerted to the situation when headache the child had for the first time, she is very strong, has a chronic character and is accompanied by other worrying signs.

The causes of primary headaches in children

Under primary headaches involve cephalalgia, which has no apparent reason, that is, when a full medical examination of the child revealed no pathological abnormalities.

According to the modern classification of types of headache these include:

• migraine;
• cephalalgia voltage;
• cluster headache.

Migraine in a child

Why children suffer from migraine – is not known. Believe that seizures are associated with a genetic predisposition of the child to the disease. If one of the parents suffers from migraine headaches. In the case of sting child for a cephalalgia, it is necessary to exclude migrainous headache, because the risk is high.

Feature of pediatric migraine is an atypical clinical picture. The younger the child is, the less similarity with unilateral classic migraine attack occurs.

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Causes of secondary headache

Many somatic and infectious disease can cause pain head in children, but often have to deal with the following situations.

Intracranial hypertension

Diagnostic program and treatment

Any case of headache without apparent reason in any case should not remain without medical attention, especially if the cephalalgia has arisen for the first time, it has a progressive character, accompanied by other worrying signs.

Only by installing the correct diagnosis, you can begin to effectively treated. In the case of secondary headaches necessary to remove the cause of pathological symptoms, and the headache will disappear on their own. In the primary cephalgia doctor may prescribe treatment like cupping and theirprevention.

Diagnostic methods for headache in a child:

• consultation with a paediatrician, ophthalmologist, ENT-doctor, dentist, and child neurologist, psychologist;
• clinical analyses of blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid;
• neurosonography;
• MRI, CT, skull x-ray;
• studies aimed at identifying infection;
• electroencephalography.

Video of child headache:

Treatment of headaches in children is very difficult, because not all the medications used in adults can be applied in childhood. The only drug that can be safely used in children is paracetamol. Dose is 15 mg/kg. Alternative drugs – aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, phenacetin, caffeine.