Pediatric headache: overview

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
Meaghan KellyMarc DiSabella

Abstract

Headache is a common medical complaint in children and adolescents with the majority having experienced some type of headache by their teenage years. Pediatric headache presentations often differ compared to adults, and children may have difficulty describing their symptoms. Thus, a thorough understanding of the approach to the pediatric headache patient is essential to ensure appropriate diagnosis, evaluation, and management. In the following article we will review the components of a comprehensive pediatric headache assessment, as well as discuss primary and secondary headache types seen in children with focus on clinical pearls and 'red flags' necessitating diagnostic testing. Headaches in children may be due to primary or secondary etiologies. Common primary headache types include migraine or tension-type headache. Secondary headache causes are broad and include infections, trauma, vascular disorders, substance use/withdrawal, and psychiatric conditions. Current American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guidelines recommend against routine lab studies, lumbar puncture, electro-encephalogram (EEG), or neuroimaging in patients with no headache red flags by history and a normal neurologic examination.

References

Sep 15, 2005·Current Pain and Headache Reports·Andrew D Hershey
Dec 20, 2005·The Journal of Headache and Pain·Luca GallelliGiovambattista De Sarro
Mar 18, 2009·Neurologic Clinics·Donald W Lewis
Jul 26, 2014·Journal of Pain Research·Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen, Christofer Lundqvist
Jan 12, 2016·Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care·Jacqueline S Gofshteyn, Donna J Stephenson
Apr 4, 2017·Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care·Raquel Langdon, Marc T DiSabella
Apr 18, 2017·Pediatric Annals·Heidi K Blume
Dec 30, 2017·The Journal of Headache and Pain·Aynur ÖzgeVincenzo Guidetti
Feb 16, 2018·Pediatric Annals·M Cristina Victorio
Sep 7, 2018·Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache

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Citations

Aug 26, 2020·Current Pain and Headache Reports·Vera NieswandGudrun Gossrau
Nov 15, 2020·Brain & Development·Özlem Yayıcı KökenErhan Aksoy
Jun 8, 2021·Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment·Felicia W ChiStacy Sterling
Dec 11, 2021·Pediatric Annals·Amy Liu

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