How to Tell if Your Child Might Have Migraine

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – MOUNT ROYAL, NJ (February 26, 2015) –  Although children can have migraine attacks, these attacks may be difficult for parents to spot because they do not have external symptoms. To help parents identify potential migraine warning signs in their kids and get them evaluated (and treated, if necessary), the American Migraine Foundation and its Chair, David W. Dodick, MD, FRCP (C), and  Phoenix Children’s Hospital pediatric neurologist/headache specialist Marcy E. Yonker, MD, have identified a number of things parents should watch for.  Dr. Dodick is Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Scottsdale, AZ).

“While migraine can be extremely debilitating, it is also often treatable,” Dr. Dodick said. “The key thing is to get your child to a headache specialist if he or she exhibits potential migraine symptoms.”

Complaints about severe headaches should trigger a doctor’s visit, but there are many other symptoms that may be less obvious.  In general, migraine pain may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and sensitivity to light, sounds or odors.  Your child may also want to lie down in a dark room.

“Parents should be alert to complaints from their child of frequent headaches,” said Dr. Yonker.  “This could indicate migraine or another serious condition.”

If the child has experienced vomiting after a head blow or injury in sports or play, parents should be on the lookout for other evidence that he or she may have had a concussion.  Migraine-like headache is a major symptom of concussion, but parents might also observe that he or she has a dazed, stunned or confused look, inability to remember the hit or events just before or after the hit, slow response to questions, blurred vision, dizziness, trouble concentrating, insomnia or excessive sleeping, irritability, depression, and/or mood swings. 

“If your child has had a head blow and has these types of symptoms, get him or her to a doctor right away,” said Dr. Dodick, who directs the Mayo Clinic’s sports concussion program.

Migraine:  A Family Affair

Migraine tends to run in families.  Parents who have experienced their own severe headaches often don’t make the connection between them and the headache complaints of their children.  But an overwhelming majority (about 70%) of children and adolescents who experience migraine attacks have an immediate family member who also has migraine or had migraine when he or she was a child.

Many adults, though, don’t realize that their headache is actually a migraine attack.  Only about half of adults with migraine get a migraine diagnosis; so it’s very possible that a woman might not realize that the “regular” headache she gets before her menstrual period is a migraine attack.

Migraine attacks are different from headaches and require different treatments.  Migraine is a neurological disorder, not just a variation of a regular headache. Attacks can occur spontaneously, during sleep, or may be triggered by a variety of factors including fluctuations in hormone levels, certain dietary items, changes in weather or altitude and stress.

“Migraine in children tends to be underdiagnosed and undertreated,” said Dr. Yonker. “If you have a child with bad headaches that you suspect may be migraine, think about your own headache history as a guide to your child’s complaints and make an appointment with a migraine specialist for a proper diagnosis.  It may make all the difference.”

The American Migraine Foundation website (www.americanmigrainefoundation.org)  has a range of resources, including a monthly “Spotlight,” where migraine sufferers and the public can turn for information about living with and managing many aspects of migraine. “Spotlight” changes topics periodically throughout the year . The current “Spotlight on Migraine in Children,” is a feature packed with information for parents and children themselves on recognizing and better managing migraine.  In addition to the topics discussed above, current Spotlight articles include “Helping Your Child Manage Migraine”; “What Triggers Migraine Attacks in Children”; “Migraine Hurts Children’s School, Family and Social Life”; and “Barriers to Getting Help.”  Also on the site are: “Back to School with Migraine”; “Children Get Headaches Too”; “Headaches in Kids:  What Parents Can Do to Help”; “Kids with Chronic Migraine”; “Migraine Variants in Children”; “Never too Young for Chronic Headaches”; “New Research on Connection Between Migraine and Colic”;  “What is This Everyday Headache All About”; and “Pediatric Migraine: A Primer for Teachers and School Nurses.” Spotlight on Migraine in Children was created with the guidance of Dr. Yonker, and features articles by a number of headache specialists and patient advocates.

For more information on sports concussions, see: http://www.americanmigrainefoundation.org/resources-and-links/spotlight-on-sports-concussion/

ABOUT MIGRAINE: Some 36 million Americans live with migraine, more than have asthma and diabetes combined.  An estimated three to seven million Americans live with chronic migraine, a highly disabling neurological disorder. Migraine can be extremely disabling and costly, accounting for more than $20 billion in direct (e.g. doctor visits, medications) and indirect (e.g. missed work, lost productivity) expenses each year in the United States. 

ABOUT THE AMERICAN MIGRAINE FOUNDATION: The American Migraine Foundation is a non-profit foundation supported by the American Headache Society and generous donors dedicated to the advancement of migraine research. Its mission is to support innovative research that will lead to improvement in the lives of those who suffer from migraine and other disabling headaches.www.americanmigrainefoundation.org is the companion website to the American Headache Society (www.americanheadachesociety.org), the professional services organization for the world’s foremost clinicians and researchers working in migraine.

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