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An approach to children with chronic daily headache
Author(s) -
Mack Kenneth J
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2006.tb01274.x
Subject(s) - headaches , medicine , mood , chronic pain , anxiety , physical therapy , pediatrics , activities of daily living , psychiatry
Chronic daily headache is a condition that affects 2 to 4% of adolescent females and 0.8 to 2% of adolescent males. It is manifested by severe intermittent headaches, as well as a chronic baseline headache. Chronic daily headache is diagnosed when headaches occur for greater than or equal to 15 headache days per month, over a period of 3 consecutive months, and with no underlying pathology. The headaches last for more than 4 hours a day. Patients with chronic daily headache will frequently have sleep disturbance, pain at other sites, dizziness, worsening anxiety and mood, and school absence. Successful approaches to treatment include education, use of preventative medication, avoidance of analgesics, and helping the children work their way back into a functional daily routine.