Recurrent headaches in children: What to know and do

Headaches are very common in children. By the time they reach 18, essentially all kids will have had at least one. Most children get them rarely, usually with an illness. But some children get recurrent headaches. About 5% of kindergartners experience this problem, and the percentage goes up as children get older. By the time they get to the end of high school, that number is up to more than 25%. Recurrent headaches often run in families. There are two types: primary and secondary. Primary headaches come from the nervous system itself, while secondary headaches are caused by something affecting the nervous system, such as an illness. Migraines and tension headaches Migraine and tension headaches are the two most common primary headaches in children. Migraines cause pain that a child can point to, usually on both sides of the head. It is throbbing and gets worse with activity. Light and noise can make it worse, and children will sometimes have nausea or vomiting. About 10% of children also have an “aura,” meaning that before the headache they have changes in their vision, like blind spots or sparkling lights, or other things like weakness or tingling. Tension headaches tend to be all over and less easy to point to. They don’t throb like migraines or get worse with activity. As with migraines, light and noise can make them worse. However, they don’t cause nausea or vomiting, and there isn’t an aura. What causes secondary headaches? The most common cause of secondary...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Headache Source Type: blogs