Headaches in Children

A headache is pain in your child’s face or head. Headaches happen to 25% of younger children and 75% of adolescents. In fact, migraines are one of the top five most common diseases in children. Headaches are very common in both adults and children, and there are more than 150 types. Those types are typically divided into four categories:

Migraines are episodic (occur a few times a month), severe headaches where your child experiences sensitivity to light and noise followed by nausea and vomiting. Migraines can be hereditary. About 60% of people who have migraines also have an immediate family member (mother, father, sister, and/or brother) who have them.

Tension headaches

There are four types of tension headaches:

• Episodic tension headache: A headache that lasts fewer than 15 days per month.
• Chronic tension headache: A headache that lasts longer than 15 days per month.
• Daily tension headache: Headaches that happen every day.
• Chronic non-progressive headache: Headaches that happen daily or a few times a month, but they don’t include the extra symptoms of a migraine.

Mixed headache syndrome/chronic migraine/transformed migraine

This type of headache is a combination of a migraine and chronic non-progressive tension headache. If your child has headaches more than 15 days a month with migraine symptoms, they might have this type of headache.

Traction and inflammatory headaches

These headaches may be due to an illness or brain disorder your child has. There could possibly be a brain tumor or bleeding in their brain.

How common are headaches in children?

Headaches are common in children. Among children between 5 and 17 years of age, 20% have reported getting headaches. The most common types of headaches in this age group are tension headaches (reported by 15%) and migraines (reported by 5%).

Many parents worry that their child’s headache is the sign of a brain tumor or serious medical condition. However, less than 3% of headaches are the result of these conditions. Many headaches in children are the result of stress and lifestyle issues.

Which children are more likely to get headaches?

If your child has an immediate family member who gets headaches, that puts them at a higher risk. Children with high-stress levels are also more likely.

How do headaches affect my child’s brain? Will they damage my child’s brain?

Headaches don’t cause brain damage. They don’t negatively affect your child’s brain.

How are headaches in children different from headaches in adults?

Children’s headaches differ from adults in the following ways:

• Children’s headaches often don’t last as long (between two hours and 72 hours).
• Children feel the pain all over their head, instead of just one side or section.
• Children have more stomach complaints, including abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea.