Headaches in Children

I realized that I am among the lucky minority I had never experienced a bad
headache till I joined post graduation. Statistics say that 90% of school going
children now experience a troubling episode every year. Around 10% have
recurrent conditions such as tension headaches and migraine.
So what could trigger a sudden headache in a child?
The cause maybe problems related to the brain and nerves or other body
systems.
#Fever associated with bodypain:
It is quite common to experience head ache during episodes of viral fever. A
headache does not necessarily mean an infection of the brain (meningitis or
encephalitis). Rest and pain relief medication will suffice.
The following are indications to see your paediatrician immediately
* Recurrent Vomiting
* Disturbances in vision
* Difficulties in moving limbs
* Slurring speech
* Disorientation
#Sinusitis and Ear infections:
These can be accompanied by headache. There could also be nose block, sore
throat or discharge from the nose/ears.
#Eye conditions
Burning and tearing of eyes with dizziness may occur if the child has a squint
needing correction and vision problems like refractive errors and astigmatism.
#Tooth problems

#Injury
A fall may cause an internal injury so look out for these warning signs to see your
doctor
*fainting and unresponsiveness
*vomiting
*discharge/bleeding from the ears/nose or mouth
#Hypertension (increased blood pressure)
This can also be a cause of unexplained fatigue and headache in children.
Apart from these, the primary causes for recurrent headache are due to
psychogenic causes(stress headaches) or blood vessel related conditions(or
migraines).These are inherited conditions so look out if others in the family
experience them.
Psychogenic or tension headaches come on with a mild to moderate aching
sensation frequently. Older children may describe it as a tight band or weighty
feeling on the head. Personality features that are often described in children with
these headaches are sensitivity, being overly concerned for approval by others,
shyness and fear of making mistakes.

While medications offer only symptomatic relief it is important to address deeper

issues with such children. They will benefit more from relaxation techniques and
opportunities for creative expression. They need to understand and regulate
their emotions.
Migraines differ from all headaches in character and management.
They have an episodic occurrence and can be described as throbbing or pulsatile
with great severity.
They may occur with associated events like painful eye movements, intolerance
to noise or light, transient blindness or visualising lights or blurred patterns in the
field of vision, abdominal pain and nausea (termed the auraof the migraine)
There are specific triggering factors like
*hunger
*foods like cheese, chocolate, and Chinese dishes with monosodium glutamate
*loss of sleep
*hyper stimulatory scenarios with flashy lights and noise like game zones,
concerts
etc
Keeping a record of precipitating events can help immensely in anticipatory
guidance. Medications can be taken both symptomatically and prophylactically.

A brain lesion like a tumour is often a concern when a child complains of

headache. But this is infrequent and doctors investigate for one when we notice
certain
associated
factors
like
*headache worsening on waking or awakening a child
*fits
*abnormal signs on examination
Generally paediatricians do not go for expensive imaging techniques like a CT
scan or MRI for headache even at the request of parents. With a good history and
examination your paediatrician will be able to categorise and prescribe suitably
for the childs headache. Also see more info @ http://www.parentedge.in