Prevalence of headache and migraine in schoolchildren

Abstract

Objectives-To determine the prevalence rates of the various causes of severe headache in schoolchildren, with special emphasis on migraine and its impact on school attendance.Design-Population based study in two stages, comprising an initial screening questionnaire followed by clinical interviews and examination of children with symptoms and a control group of asymptomatic children matched for age and sex.Setting-67 primary and secondary schools in the city ofAberdeen.Subjects-2165 children, representing a random sample of 10/o of schoolchildren in Aberdeen aged 5-15 years.Main outcome measures-(a) the prevalence of migraine (International Headache Society criteria) and of other types of headache; (b) the impact of migraine on school attendance.Results-The estimated prevalence rates of migraine and tension headache were 10X60%o (95% confidence interval 9 1 to 12.3) and 0 9%'/o (0*5 to 1.5) respectively. The estimated prevalence rates for migraine without aura and migraine with aura were 7-80/ (95% confidence interval 6*5 to 9.3) and 2-80/ (2-0 to 3.8) respectively. In addition, 10 children (0 70/6) had headaches which, though lasting less than two hours, also fulfilled the International Headache Society criteria for migraine, 14 (0 9%/) had tension headaches, and 20 (13%/) had non-specific recurrent headache. The prevalence of migraine increased with age, with male preponderance in children under 12 and female preponderance thereafter. Children with migraine lost a mean of [7][8]

Chronic daily headache in a paediatric headache centre

“…The prevalence of CDH in the adult population varies between 1.5% and 7% [9,10]; in children and adolescents it ranges from 0.2% to 0.9% [11,12]. In our study performed in juvenile subjects we observed 5.93% of the patients with primary headaches suffered from CDH: this higher percentage is due to the fact that subjects presenting to a tertiary care centre have more serious and disabling headache forms [13].…”

Present and previous psychopathology of juvenile onset migraine: a pilot investigation by Child Behavior Checklist

“…Population-based studies reported that the prevalence of migraine in childhood and adolescence ranges from 3% to 14% [1][2][3][4][5][6]. From the time of Wolff's early portrait of the childhood personality characteristics of migraine patients, the research began to explore the association of headache first with broad personality traits and then with distinct psychiatric symptoms [7,8].…”

Family ecology in children with primary headache

“…These proportions dramatically increase during adolescence and may reach the 90% of the adolescent population [1,5,6]. About 15% of school age children suffer from recurrent headache, either tension-type headache or migraine, once a week or more [7][8][9].…”

“…These proportions dramatically increase during adolescence and may reach the 90% of the adolescent population [1,5,6]. About 15% of school age children suffer from recurrent headache, either tension-type headache or migraine, once a week or more [7][8][9].The frequency, intensity and quality of headaches have been associated with complex interactions between biological, psychological and socio/environmental factors [10][11][12][13]. Psychosocial mechanisms may be relevant in the etiology and pathogenesis of primary headaches and include social and economic status, resilience, housing conditions, family conditions, life events, school conditions and performance, leisure time activities, quality of life, situational factors, coping responses, psychiatric and somatic comorbidity, and behavioral problems [14].…”