Evidence suggests that as much as 10 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 15 experience migraine type headaches with girls and boys being equally affected. This type of recurrent headache disorder will affect a child's quality of life in terms of absenteeism from school and decreased interactions with both family and friends.

Although research indicates that migraines in children and adults develop in the same way, the symptoms in children that used to diagnose the migraine are slightly different.

Doctors look for certain recurrent conditions such vomiting, abdominal pain or dizzy spells which may be indicators of juvenile migraine. A migraine attack in a child (with or without aura) may last between 1 and 72 hours with the child having an increased sensitivity to noise and light.

Young children usually experience pain on both sides of their head while older children will complain of pain only on one side of the head. Other non-headache symptoms to look out for are diarrhoea, increased sweating, thirst and tearing.

A clinical evaluation needs to look at the various aspects of pain such as the nature and quality, intensity, site and spread, frequency and duration. Associated symptoms, and predisposing or trigger factors help diagnose and treat migraine optimally in children.

Treatment options for children include maintaining regular bedtime and meals schedules and pharmacological intervention.

For further information on treatment options for your child, speak to your doctor today or visit www.MyMigraine.co.za website. Click here to do an online test to see whether you could be a migraine sufferer.

Compiled by Amayeza Info Services in the interests of patient education.

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