Primary headaches in children

• Main Authors: Ajay Kumar Pan, Anuradha Mitra, Subrata Ray, Amitava Rudra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2015-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Pain
• Subjects: Children; headaches; primary
• Online Access: http://www.indianjpain.org/article.asp?issn=0970-5333;year=2015;volume=29;issue=3;spage=142;epage=149;aulast=Pan

Headache is a widespread clinical problem; the prevalence is high in all age groups, from which children and teenagers are not spared. It has been reported that, as many as 75% of school-age children may experience headache infrequently, among them 10% have recurrent headaches. [1],[2] The vast majority of headaches are primary and classified as migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), cluster headache, and other trigeminal autonomic cephalgias. The type of primary headaches could usually be diagnosed by a thorough and careful history taking, and physical examination. Once the diagnosis of migraine is established and appropriate reassurance provided, a balanced and individually tailored treatment plan can be instituted. The goal of treatment includes abortive or acute pain treatment, preventive long-term treatment, and biobehavioral therapy. Knowledge of precise impact of primary headaches on child′s quality of life helps to design a proper comprehensive treatment plan.