title: Headaches as somatoform disorders in children and adolescents.
abstract: Somatoform disorders are often the main cause for seeking professional advice and performing a number of specialist checks. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of somatoform disorders in the form of headaches in children and adolescents neurologically diagnosed and the risk factors thereof. Analysis of the biological and situational risk factors were established. Somatoform disorders were diagnosed in 27 out of 276 children with headaches. We concluded that in the differential diagnosis of headaches, somatoform headaches should not be omitted as every 10(th) patient in the developmental age diagnosed on the neurological ward because of headache shows signs of somatoform headaches. In diagnostically difficult cases it is recommended that analysis of biological and situational risk factors be performed with special attention paid to chronic disease of the patient and/or in his immediate family, the patient's psychological disorders and dysfunctional or low social status families. The creation of separate criteria for somatoform disorders of the developmental age should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emich-Widera
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kazek
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szwed-Białożyt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kopyta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Medical University of Silesia , Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kostorz
keywords: adolescents; children; somatoform disorders; tension type headaches