Visual symptoms and childhood migraine: Qualitative analysis of duration, location, spread, mobility, colour and pattern

Abstract

The study was approved by the Health Research Authority - London and the local Research and Innovation Department at Barking Havering and Redbridge National Health Service Trust. Formal parental consent was not considered essential for this type of study.

Migraine Aura: Pathophysiology, Mimics, and Treatment Options

“…5 A large pediatric cohort showed that the features of migraine with aura can be more variable in children. 6 In this young cohort, 69% reported that the visual symptoms lasted less than 5 minutes, and 73% reported the aura to be polychromatic, rather than the black-and-white description that is more frequent among adults. 6 concentrating, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, food cravings, and yawning.…”

“…6 In this young cohort, 69% reported that the visual symptoms lasted less than 5 minutes, and 73% reported the aura to be polychromatic, rather than the black-and-white description that is more frequent among adults. 6 concentrating, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, food cravings, and yawning. 2,7,8 These premonitory symptoms are more common in patients with aura, particularly in patients who experience aura of longer duration.…”

Pediatric Episodic Migraine with Aura: A Unique Entity?

“…When multiple types of typical auras are present in a single attack, these auras can present simultaneously or in succession [31]. While the majority of pediatric patients report a gradual development of aura over at least 5 min, a minority of patients do develop aura faster (<5 min) [8]. Additionally, single aura symptoms in this population may last <5 min or longer than 60 min [8,[30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

“…However, there is substantial variability in the characteristics of visual auras [27]. For example, in children and adolescents, polychromatic aura and formed shapes (e.g., dots, circles, triangles, squares, stars) are often reported [8]. Sensory aura is classically characterized by a unilateral "marching" phenomenon, starting with tingling in the hand and spreading up the arm to the face, sometimes involving the buccal mucosa and tongue.…”

“…Migraine is considered a life-long disorder since approximately 60% of children diagnosed with migraine with or without aura continue to have migraine attacks during adulthood [7]. Of children and adolescents with migraine headache, approximately one-third have migraine with aura (MA) [5,6,8]. Aura is a heterogenous and complex entity that shares clinical features with more sinister neurological conditions.…”