Headache in children: young age at onset does not imply a harmful etiology or predict a harsh headache disability.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare headache etiology, type, and burden and the learning and behavioral profile in children with early-onset (under 6 years) and late-onset (8-12 years) headaches. The study included 133 patients, 35 in the early-onset group and 98 in the late-onset group. Headache diagnosis was based on International Classification of Headache Disorders -II (ICHD-II) criteria. Learning profile and behavioral problems were assessed by parental reports. Tension headache was the most common diagnosis in the early-onset headache group (51.4%). No significant differences were found between the age groups with regard to headache etiology, disability, abnormal neuroimaging results, school performance, or attention problems. Nevertheless, the early-onset group patients had a significantly higher prevalence of behavioral problems: 25.7% versus 11.2% (P < .02). The authors suggest that early age of headache onset does not imply a harmful etiology or a relentless headache disability or burden.
Department of Pediatrics, Meyer Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. s_ravid@rambam.health.gov.il
Sarit
S
Ravid
Shirie
S
Gordon
Aharon
A
Schiff
Eli
E
Shahar
D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000209:etiology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000150:complications; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed