Headaches
Chronic daily headache in adolescents: Prevalence, impact, and medication overuse
Wang S-J, et al. Neurology. January 2006; Vol. 66, Iss. 2, pp. 193-197
Objectives: To examine the prevalence,
impact, and related medication use or overuse of primary
chronic daily headache (CDH) among adolescents in a
field sample.
Methods: The authors conducted a two-phase
CDH survey of all students from ages 12 to 14 years in five
selected middle schools in Taiwan. Subjects with CDH in the
past year were identified and interviewed by neurologists.
CDH was defined as headache occurring at a frequency of 15
days/month or more, average of 2 hours/day or more, for more
than 3 months, and its subtypes were classified on the basis
of the International Classification of Headache Disorders,
2nd edition.
Results: Of the 7,900 participants, 122
(1.5%) fulfilled the criteria for primary CDH in the past
year. Girls had a higher prevalence (2.4%) than boys (0.8%)
(p < 0.001). Of the CDH subjects, 88 (72%) could be classified
into either chronic tension-type headache (65.6%) or chronic
migraine (6.6%). None of them fulfilled the criteria of new
daily-persistent headache or hemicrania continua. Twenty-four
subjects (20%) overused medications. Eighty-two (67%) of
all CDH subjects had migraine or probable migraine. In the
past semester, most CDH subjects (65%) did not take any sick
leave for headaches. Only 6 subjects consulted neurologists
in the past year, and only 1 subject took headache prophylactic
agents.
Conclusions: Chronic daily headache (CDH)
was common in a large nonreferred adolescent sample. Based
on the International Classification of Headache Disorders,
2nd edition, criteria, chronic tension-type headache was
the most common subtype; however, a majority of adolescents
with CDH had headaches with features of migraine.
Children Relate Headaches to Emotional
Stress.
Working on the assumption that children probably have insights into what triggers
their own headaches, Dr. Birgitta Hovelius and colleagues took the novel approach
of actually asking a group of 10 to 14-year-olds about their experience of
headache.
"We are trying to understand children's intuitive knowledge and understanding
of factors affecting their health from the point of view that their narratives
represent an important source of knowledge in the area of medical research," Dr.
Hovelius told Reuters Health. "Such research has been neglected."
The children consistently linked their headaches with conditions in school,
the researchers report in The British Journal of General Practice. "Specifically
with more theoretically oriented subjects--mathematics or Swedish -- a noisy
and disorderly school environment, and insecure relations with classmates."
Another regular theme when the children were encouraged to talk freely was
insecurity or conflict in their family. Read the entire article at medscape.com.
TV Watching Leads to Health Problems in Children
In addition to obesity, children who watched Tv for longer hours had an increased
risk of headache, back pain, eye symptoms and sleep problems were found to
be more often among children who watched television longer
Toyran M, Ozmert
E, Yurdakok K Television
viewing and its effect on physical health of schoolage children Turk
J Pediatr 2002 (Jul); 44 (3): 194-203
Headaches Common in Young
Children
Migraine headaches are common in children, and incidence increases through
adolescence, affecting about 8% to 23% of children aged 11 to 15 years. Average
age of onset is 7.2 years for boys and 10.9 years for girls.
Neurology.
2004;63(12):2215-2224
Coenzyme Q10 May Ward Off Migraine Attacks
"Coenzyme Q10 proved to have a significant effect in reducing migraine propensity
and had an extremely favorable side-effect profile," lead author Peter S. Sandor,
MD, research fellow in the neurology department at University Hospitals in Zurich,
Switzerland, said during a presentation.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/47483
Drug
Rebound Headache Common in Youths
Many parents don't think twice about giving their youngsters over-the-counter
pain medications. However, new research supports what doctors of chiropractic
have long suspected: pain medication often does more harm then good.
The study looked at 26 adolescents in Israel with chronic headache. Those who
reported headaches 25 days out of each month also reported taking aspirin,
acetaminophen or codeine on a daily or near-daily basis (average of 28 pills
each week). When these youths discontinued taking medication, their headache
frequency dropped to fewer than 3 days per month.
Hering-Hanit R, Cohen A, Horev Z. Successful
withdrawal from analgesic abuse in a group of youngsters with chronic daily
headache J Child Neurol 2001 (Jun); 16 (6): 448-449
Childhood Headache my lead to Adult Conditions Children
with frequent headaches are at an elevated risk of headaches and other conditions
during adulthood, say scientists in the British Medical Journal. Investigators
tracked 17,414 subjects from age 7 to age 33. In total, 8.2% of participants
suffered from headaches at age 7. This figure jumped to 14% at age 33. Children
with headaches were at more than double the odds of suffering from headaches
as adults. They were also significantly more likely to develop other physical
and psychiatric symptoms, compared with headache-free youngsters
These findings
confirm that children with headaches do not simply "grow out" of
their physical complaint, but may instead "grow into" others, say the authors.
Fearon P, Hotopf M. Relation
between headache in childhood and physical and psychiatric symptoms in adulthood:
national birth cohort study Brit Med Jou 2001 (May 12); 322
(7295): 1145
Migraines on the Rise Incidence of medically recognized
migraine skyrocketed over the last several years, say scientists in the
journal Neurology. The study found that clinically diagnosed migraine leaped
56% between 1979 and 1990. This increase was primarily due to a jump in
migraine occurrence among females aged 10 to 49 years, say researchers.
Rozen, TD, Swanson, JW, Stang, PE, McDonnell, SK, Rocca, WA Increasing
incidence of medically recognized migraine headache in a United States population Neurology
1999 (Oct 22); 53 (7): 1468-1473
Starting School Raises Headache Occurrence Starting school
can be emotionally traumatic for a child. Now an article Pediatrics suggests
that starting school may also have physical ramifications. Specifically,
starting school increases a student's likelihood of headache.
The study followed 1,290 6- and 7- year-old children for two years. According
to the report, "A significant increase in the incidence density of overall
headache in children was found during the first 12 school months, compared
with the 6 months immediately before school started or with the subsequent
6 school months (13th-18th month). The increase was attributable to occasional
headache. During the first school months, the frequency of headache increased
in 20% of children who had had headache before the 6 months preceding the
start of school."
Anttila P, Metsahonkala L, Sillanpaa M School
start and occurrence of headache Pediatrics 1999 (Jun); 103
(6): e80
Additional Articles on Children's Headaches:
Pediatric Headaches
by Claudia Anrig, DC
Dynamic Chiropractic Archives - August 10, 1998
Diagnosing Childhood
Headaches by Peter Fysh, DC
Dynamic Chiropractic Archives - February 12, 1993
Children Get Headaches,
Too by Peter Fysh, DC
Dynamic Chiropractic Archives - January 15, 1993
The Chiropractic
And Headache Page @ Chiro.Org
Chiropractic
Spinal Manipulation for Cervicogenic Headache in an 8-Year-Old
The Chiropractic Resource Organization