Frequent headaches in the preadolescent pediatric population: a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of chronic daily headaches (CDH) and of high-frequency episodic headaches (HFEH) in preadolescent children from the general population.


BACKGROUND
Early-onset cases of neurologic diseases often reflect increased biologic predisposition, specific risk factors, or both.


METHODS
Of 2,173 children identified as the target sample, consents were obtained from 1,870 (86.0%), and analyzable data were provided by 1,547 (71.2%). Parents and children were interviewed using a questionnaire consisting of 97 questions, with a validated headache module (10 questions). Crude and adjusted prevalences of HFEH (10-14 headache days per month) and CDH (15 or more headache days per month) were calculated.


RESULTS
The prevalence of CDH was 1.68% (girls 2.09%, boys 1.33%). The overall prevalence of HFEH was 2.52% (girls 2.8%, boys 2.3%). After adjusting for gender, age, parental history of headaches, income, and school of origin, the prevalence of CDH was higher in girls than in boys (2.2% vs 1.1%, p < 0.01) and in nonwhite vs white children (2.2% vs 1.2%, p < 0.01). Similar differences were seen for HFEH (girls 3.1%, boys 2.0%, p < 0.01), (nonwhite 3.1%, white 1.9%, p < 0.01). Income significantly contributed to the model.


CONCLUSIONS
High-frequency episodic headaches and chronic daily headaches are common in the preadolescent pediatric population. Health care providers and educators should be aware of the magnitude of the problem to properly identify and treat children with headaches.
Arruda
M A
MA
Glia Institute, Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Guidetti
V
V
Galli
F
F
Albuquerque
R C A P
RC
Bigal
M E
ME
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires