title: Pediatric Headache and Epilepsy Comorbidity in the Pragmatic Clinical Setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Demographic and clinical data were collected from three cross-sectional samples, from the headache and epilepsy clinics according to respective protocols. During structured interviews, we examined the co-occurrence of headaches and epilepsy in children and their families: (1) 172 children from the headache clinic, were questioned for the number and type of epileptic seizures and epilepsy diagnosis. (2) Around 70 children from the epilepsy clinic for the frequency and type of headaches and headache syndrome diagnosis. (3) A total of 149 parents of children with benign childhood epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (BCECTS) and childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), for the relative frequency of headaches in first- and second-degree relatives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 172, 84 (48.8%) children with headache had a migraine and 60 (34.9%) had tension headaches; 3 children (1.7%) had epilepsy or unprovoked seizures. Migraine and epilepsy, co-occurred in 2/84 (2.3%). Eight out of 70 patients with epilepsy had headaches (11.4%); none had migraine. Around 43% of patients with BCECTS or CAE had a family history of headache, more prevalent in first-degree relatives of children with BCECTS than CAE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to existing literature, migraine and epilepsy, co-occurred infrequently in these highly selected samples. Family history of headache was frequent in patients with BCECTS and CAE, without any significant difference between the two.
authors: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pendeli Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Antigone S
authors: AS
authors: Papavasiliou
authors: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pendeli Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Marianna
authors: M
authors: Bregianni
authors: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pendeli Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Irene
authors: I
authors: Nikaina
authors: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pendeli Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Charalambos
authors: C
authors: Kotsalis
authors: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pendeli Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Evangelos
authors: E
authors: Paraskevoulakos
authors: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pendeli Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Helen
authors: H
authors: Bazigou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics