Etiology of the children with chronic recurrent headaches.

Abstract

Objective: Headache is a common reason for consultation in pediatric neurology polyclinics. In this study, we aim to determine the etiological factors related to types of headaches in pediatric age groups and the classification on the ground of the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICHD-II, 2004) in a pediatric population with complaints of headache. Methods: The clinical and laboratory findings of 80 patients with headache were evaluated retrospectively. Results: There were 36 (45%) males and 44 (55%) females in the study. The mean age of the patients was 10.38±2.57 years (range 5-15). Of the eighty patients 28 had migraine (n=28; 35%), 19 had sinusitis (23.8%), 21 had tension-type (26.2%) and 3 had primary stabbing headaches (3.7%). Migraine and tension-type headaches were more frequently seen in girls. In about half of the patients (n=36; 45%) a psychiatric pathology was detected. The most frequent accompanying psyhiatric finding was anxiety (30%). Conclusion: We conclude that following a sound anamnesis, physical and neurological examination of the children with recurrent headaches, neurophysiological and neuroradiological methods should be resorted. On the ground of the these findings headaches should be classified as primary or secondary headaches. Psychiatric evaluation regarding comorbid diseases should be recommended for the children with primary headaches.