Child Headaches Explained
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Defined Tag: Other Headache Types.

Headaches and Kids.
   
It is common for younger children and teenagers to experience different types of headaches although most of their headaches can be traced to viral reasons like the common cold or flu.

When Should You Seek Help

Your child’s occasional headache is nothing to worry about but you can be concerned when it is accompanied by one or more symptoms. Consult your doctor in case your child manifests any of the following symptoms associated with his or her head pain: vomiting, confusion, irritability, lethargy, weak or rapid puse, breathing problems, stiff neck, loss of appetite, difficulty walking and change in personality.

Sometimes, a child who frequently suffers from headaches even if he or she had already been seen by a doctor would all of a sudden complain that the headache is a lot worse than the usual. In this case, it's best to bring him or her back to see the doctor, particularly if the child looks sicker.  Headaches in children may be attributed to the following common causes:

* Infection on the Upper Respiratory System

When your child has a cold or sore throat, or when his sinuses are infected, you can half-expect him to complain of a headache. However, if the headache worsens and if there is an accompanying fever, it is important to see a doctor.

* Migraines

Children can also experience what is called Classic Migraine. The usual headache does not manifest in the initial stage. Instead, your child would first have to deal with an upset stomach and frequent vomiting. This condition is known as gastric migraine, which over a period of several months, develops into the classic migraine.

Children with classic migraine would exhibit symptoms that are very similar to those among adults: feeling and being sick, blurred vision, headache on one side of the head and aura, signaling that a migraine is about to occur.

Your child can have the common migraine, which in adults would be the migraine without aura. This appears like an ordinary headache without visual disturbances or the feeling of getting sick. The usual remedy for children is sleep. The predisposition to migraines can be hereditary which means that kids with migraines would most likely have either or both parents who are migraineurs themselves.

* Tension Headaches

As young as they are, children can also experience tension headaches when they are feeling stressed in school, at play or at home. With tension headache, one suffers a dull pain on a daily basis and which cannot be relieved by sleep.

* Eyestrain

When your child comes home from school complaining about his headache, it may be best to ask him if he can see the board clearly from where he’s sitting. If he complains about that too, his headache may probably be caused by eyestrain, in which case you need to have the child’s vision examined. With the corrective eyewear, your child can say goodbye to headaches.

* Meningitis

Meningitis is a disease involving inflammation or irritation of the meninges (a thin lining covering the brain and spinal cord), which occurs most often in children.  Be on the alert for the following symptoms: stiff neck, fever, rash, dislike of bright light, irritability, rapid pulse, seizures and lethargy.

Bacterial meningitis is contagious, but it can be treated with strong antibiotics given intravenously. On the other hand, if the infection is viral in nature, the patient may have to be confined in the hospital for careful observation. Antibiotics do not work against viruses and a person with viral meningitis will need lots of rest to fight off the infection.

* Brain Tumor

Every parent’s worst fear for his child’s headache is the possibility of a brain tumor. Warning signs for the presence of a brain tumor include: frequent and severe headaches, seizures, vomiting, headaches upon waking up, headaches when lying down, headaches exacerbated by coughing and sneezing, double vision, changes in personality and problems walking.

If you suspect that a brain tumor may be causing your child’s persistent headaches, bring your child to the doctor for a through examination.

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