A child has a headache and vomiting: symptoms and causes

Head pain in a child

Most parents mistakenly believe that headaches mainly affect adults. However, it is not. Even infants can experience headaches. When entering kindergarten, about ten percent of children already experience pathological symptoms. For schoolchildren, this figure exceeds eighty percent. Let's consider the features of pain in the temporal region.

Pain in left temple

If a child has pain in his left temple, one can judge the development of painful processes inside his body. Children are very mobile, so pain in the temple area can be caused by a head injury due to a fall. Unpleasant symptoms may also appear during colds, neuralgic diseases, and pathologies of the cardiovascular system. To understand why the pain is localized on the left, you will need to contact a healthcare facility for diagnostic measures.

Possible causes of pain on the right

When a child has pain in his right temple, the reasons are similar. In any case, if a child complains of a headache in the temple area, parents need to urgently take him to the pediatrician. After all, such manifestations can also occur against the background of illnesses that are quite dangerous to health and life. For example, pain in the right temple in a child may signal the development of tumors in the cerebral cortex. In such cases, early diagnosis can save the baby’s life. In advanced stages, cancerous tumors can only be eliminated surgically.

High blood pressure or hypertension

Increased intracranial pressure can be observed both in infants, in the first six months of life, and in older children. In newborns, increased intracranial pressure may occur as a consequence of prematurity or other problems during pregnancy. There are primary and secondary hypertension. In the first case, the pathology is congenital, in the second it is a symptom of serious systemic disorders.

Symptoms of arterial hypertension in children manifest themselves in different ways:

frequent headaches;
growth retardation;
nausea;
weakness;
visual impairment.

During an exacerbation (hypertensive crisis), vomiting and fainting are possible.

Treatment of hypertension depends on the underlying cause and is complex. The emphasis is on the cardiovascular and urinary systems. The child also needs gentle but regular physical activity and a special diet.

During acute crises, it is not recommended to resort to drug lowering of blood pressure. Treatment with herbs and natural diuretics is indicated for children under 16 years of age. Synthetic drugs are prescribed only when there is no other solution to the problem, and the result of treatment offsets the possible risks.

What are the reasons for a child's headache?

If a child has pain near his temple, do not immediately panic. If pain occurs for the first time and lasts less than an hour, do not worry. Most likely, there are no threats to the baby's health. However, when a child has a constant headache in the temple area, and the pain is very severe, the cause in ninety-nine percent of cases is pathological. In this case, you should not delay going to the doctor. Let's take a closer look at each factor that can cause painful symptoms.

Primary pain

There is a group of pains in the temples of the head that occur independently, without the presence of an underlying ailment. They can be triggered by:

Migraine attacks. More often, such conditions are transmitted from ancestors and worsen against the background of intense mental stress. For example, when preparing for a test, during prolonged reading of texts that are difficult to understand.
Insufficient sleep duration. Quite often, pain in the temples is observed in children who go to bed late due to their passion for computer games or watching TV.
Strict diets. This reason is especially typical for girls who want to get closer to their ideal. In pursuit of an ideal figure, they starve themselves. Lack of nutrients leads to headaches in the temples.
Hormonal changes. During this period, not only does the head hurt, but also malfunctions in other organs occur. Most often, teenagers suffer from an excess of hormones. But a 10-year-old child may experience pain in the temples. This occurs with premature ripening.
Intense physical activity. During prolonged physical exercise, children often get headaches in their temples.

Characteristic signs of pain in children

Headaches in childhood have some characteristic features. For example, the duration of attacks ranges from twenty minutes to three hours. While after reaching the twenty-year mark, the soreness of the head may remain for several days. Usually in children the following symptoms are added to headaches:

nauseating feeling, vomiting;
weakness, faintness;
pain in the abdominal area.

Secondary headaches

Most often, if the baby complains of pain in the temple, you should take him to a medical facility for examination. This is due to the fact that there are many pathologies that can cause such manifestations. Let's take a closer look at which ones:

Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Inflammatory processes in the hearing organs, nasal sinuses.
Unexpected changes in blood pressure.
Intoxication of the body.
Inflammation of muscle tissue.
Concussion, bruises and damage to the skull.
Dental problems.
ARVI.
Hepatic and renal pathologies.
Damage to the trigeminal nerve.
Cervical osteochondrosis.
Epilepsy.
NS disorders.
Diabetes.
Meningitis.

The list goes on. When a child’s temples hurt due to illness, more serious symptoms appear:

increased body temperature;
loss of consciousness;
increased sweating;
confusion;
numbness of the limbs.

If, along with the fact that the child’s temples hurt, the indicated symptoms occur, it is necessary to urgently call the telephone number “03”.

Pathology of the skull and space-occupying formations of the brain

Children's age is characterized by hyperactivity. Children constantly play outdoor games with their peers, play sports, and participate in various competitions. Not surprisingly, they can fall and suffer a head injury. Sometimes this leads to negative consequences. For example, the development of neoplasms, brain abscess. This can cause the child to have a headache in the temples, vomit, and feel sick. The situation is complicated by the fact that alarming symptoms do not appear immediately.

Weather changes magnetic storms

Weather-dependent children often have headaches, in particular in the temples, during sharply changing weather conditions. In this case, unpleasant sensations may occur several hours before the weather worsens. Rain, changes in atmospheric pressure, strong gusts of wind, thunderstorms, and hot air currents have a particularly negative impact on well-being. In this case, there is no need to worry; when the weather improves, the pain will go away on its own.

Concussion

A concussion can occur even if a child is slightly hit or falls on his back or buttocks. Signs that the injury has not passed without a trace are: paroxysmal headache, nausea, pallor, apathy.

With a strong blow, loss of consciousness may occur, and upon its return, vomiting may occur and the temperature will rise.

In this case, you must immediately call an ambulance.

If the child feels normal after the injury, he still needs to be monitored. Often, symptoms of a concussion, as well as its complications, do not appear immediately. The baby should not sleep or make sudden movements for several hours. The next morning, you can do a coordination test, measure your temperature and measure your pupils.

Reasons for headaches in the morning

For most children, morning headaches in the temples are considered normal. Mostly, such cases are associated with lack of sleep due to early rise to get ready for school or kindergarten. Prolonged sleep can also negatively affect the baby's well-being. Another common cause of pathological manifestations in the morning is an uncomfortable bed. When a child sleeps on his side, the temple on the right or left hurts. Replacing bedding will help correct the situation.

It is worth noting that most cancers also manifest themselves in the morning. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the appearance of accompanying symptoms. For example, disorientation in space, slurred speech, nausea. Children under 5 years old usually do not focus on the fact that something hurts, so parents of children need to be especially attentive.

Causes

A number of factors can provoke the appearance of nausea, fever and headache in a child, ranging from basic poisoning to encephalitis. At the same time, it is important for parents not to panic, but to understand the nature of the pain (sharp, aching, pulling or radiating to other organs). Next, you should measure your temperature and, if the readings are critical (above 38), contact your doctor. Often, a detailed interview with the child can help to understand what caused the disease, because infection can occur from the bite of an insect or stray animal, consumption of stale food or unripe fruits (vegetables).

Let's try to figure out how to distinguish food poisoning from infection, disorders associated with injuries and systemic pathologies.

Pulsation in temples

Pulsation in the temples is most unpleasant for children, since such sensations are sharp, acute, and occur quite unexpectedly. Often, when a baby has a headache and pounding in his temples, he becomes irritable, withdrawn, and aggressive. The development of symptoms is caused by:

migraine attacks;
temporal arteritis;
infectious diseases;
increased pressure inside the skull;
neuralgic diseases;
inflamed tonsils;
iron deficiency in the blood.

These conditions are quite dangerous to health. Therefore, if a child has a headache and pounding in the temples, it will be necessary to undergo diagnostic measures.

Diagnostics

It is possible to establish the real reason why a child has a headache after carrying out diagnostic procedures. In addition to the survey, during which the doctor finds out the environment and irritating factors, the following is used:

Laboratory blood test.
X-ray of the skull. Prescribed for head injuries, it helps to identify the presence of hematomas in the vessels of the brain.
Electroencephalography. Indicated for migraine, determines the level of brain activity and possible pathologies.
Electrocardiography. Used for hypertension.

An accurate picture of the disease will be provided by a comprehensive examination, including several methods, as well as consultations with several specialists.

Under what conditions does your head hurt at night?

During the day, a child, like an adult, bears a heavy burden. He experiences significant physical, mental, psycho-emotional stress. All this leads to fatigue accumulating closer to night. That's why I get headaches in my temples at night. Also, such manifestations can occur due to sleeping in a poorly ventilated room, staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time, or having a pillow that is too high.

Among the pathological causes, diabetes mellitus should be noted. Patients often wake up due to painful sensations.

Prognosis and complications

When the cause of the disease is not serious, the prognosis will be positive. For brain tumors, therapy is considered difficult; surgery is often required when conservative methods are useless. Common consequences and complications include:

weight loss;
slow growth;
learning delays;
sleep disorders.

Infants with these symptoms gain weight slowly and usually refuse milk. If signs of pain appear, medical attention is needed.

Danger signs for a child

The one-time appearance of a headache in the temples in a child can be attributed to stress or fatigue. However, when the headache is regular, and the pain is constantly increasing, it is necessary to urgently take the child to the doctor. Especially if he makes the following complaints:

blurred vision, photophobia;
the appearance of auditory and visual hallucinations;
inability to concentrate, absent-mindedness;
lack of appetite;
dizziness.

If, starting from about five years old, a child is able to describe to his parents how he is feeling, then kids cannot do this. Therefore, you should be wary if the baby:

often cries hysterically;
scratches the skin until it bleeds;
burps unexpectedly;
constantly sleeps or, conversely, cannot fall asleep;
pulls hands to face and head.

Timely seeking medical help will help keep your child healthy.

Encephalitis

Inflammation of brain tissue in children occurs due to infection with viral or microbial agents.

The symptoms of the disease in each individual case may differ, depending on the pathogen. Common symptoms for all groups of encephalitis are: vomiting, headache, fever, weakness, impaired respiratory function, rapid heartbeat, convulsions, confusion.

Treatment depends on the causative agent of the infection and is carried out exclusively in a hospital setting.

Daily routine and diet for headaches

When a child has a headache in the temples, pediatricians advise, first of all, to exclude junk food from his diet. These include:

sweet soda;
canned food, pickles;
sausages;
semi-finished products;
fast food;
candies, sweets.

It is clear that it is difficult to prohibit your child from eating his favorite foods. However, you will need to reduce their number to a minimum, as well as teach your child to eat healthy foods.

A regular daily routine also has a beneficial effect on children's health. It will need to be thought out in such a way that the child can get a good night's sleep, have time for classes, not be in a hurry, and not get overtired. A prerequisite is to fall asleep and wake up at the same time, even on weekends.

Foods that cause pain in the temples

When purchasing products, you should carefully read the label. There are a number of supplements that can cause headaches in the temples, especially in children. Let's list the most dangerous ones:

monosodium glutamate;
aspartame;
nitrites.

To avoid headaches, you will also need to limit the consumption of caffeine-containing drinks, chocolate and hard cheeses.

Severe nausea

Severe headaches accompanied by attacks of nausea are associated with intestinal upset.
When the digestive system works normally, but the disease does not give rest. This fact may indicate the presence of a number of other problems:

Overvoltage;
Nervous exhaustion;
Meningitis;
Migraine;
Increased blood pressure.

Treatment should begin only after examination by a specialist and precise clarification of the nature of the disease.

To eliminate the problem, you can take one of the following medications:

Nurofen,
No-shpa,
Paracetamol,
Analgin.

Use of these drugs for no more than 5 days. If after this period the problems continue, then it is worth raising the question of the correctness of the diagnosis.

Emergency measures for pain in the temple on the right

Many parents are interested in the question: if their child has a headache, what to do. Let's look at how you can help your baby when he has a headache and a pain in his right temple. To do this you will need:

Lay the baby down and calm her down.
Open the windows and let fresh air into the room.
Soak a clean gauze bandage in water and apply to the painful area.
Give a Paracetamol tablet.
If chills occur, cover the patient.
Give a cup of black tea.

If the pain intensifies, you must call an ambulance.

ethnoscience

If rest does not improve your well-being, then medication is needed. The difficulty is that many drugs cannot be used to relieve pain in minors. Traditional medicine recipes will help improve your condition. But even in this case, all actions should be discussed with a doctor:

You need to separate several leaves of cabbage and apply the inside side to the sore area - the back of the head, forehead or temples.
Fresh vegetable juice helps. Cotton pads are soaked in it and applied to the ears for 10-15 minutes.
A little “Star” balm is rubbed into the temple area.
Herbal tea with lemon balm will help relieve pain. It can be bought at a pharmacy. This recipe is especially useful if the pain appears due to emotional stress.
An egg-milk shake is used. The product, although not very pleasant to the taste, copes well with migraines. Develop an egg into a glass and then pour warm milk. After mixing, you can drink.
Lemon juice is a great tonic and relieves moderate headaches. The juice must be mixed with water in an amount of 1:1.
Fresh peeled lemon peel will also help relieve pain. It should be applied to the temples for 10-15 minutes.

Folk remedies often allow you to restore the child’s condition. But consultation with a doctor will protect him from unpleasant consequences.

Relief from temple pain

It is impossible to ignore the situation when a child has a headache in the temples. Therefore, if pathological symptoms occur, you must consult a doctor. After identifying the cause of the pain, the specialist will select a therapeutic course.

Drug treatment

First of all, the medical professional will prescribe medications. Which ones exactly depends on the cause of temporal pain. For example, if it occurs against the background of migraine, drugs such as Sumamigren, Imigran will help. If low blood pressure is to blame, Eleutherococcus tincture will be prescribed. For increased mental stress, Glycine and Nootropic are prescribed. Parents should note that they should not give their child any medications on their own, without consulting a specialist.

Traditional methods of treatment

If you don’t want to poison your child’s body with medications, proven traditional medicine will help with headaches:

Chamomile decoction. To prepare, you need to take ten grams of dry grass and add five grams of St. John's wort and lavender to it. The resulting mixture must be poured with boiling water and cooked for seven minutes. After cooling, it can be given to the patient. Drink during an exacerbation.
Compress made from fresh lilac leaves. Before applying them to the problem area, you will need to rinse them.
Essential oils. A few drops of eucalyptus, rosemary or orange oil applied to a lit light bulb will help improve the condition of a small patient. For example, on a table lamp.
Onion juice. To relieve pain, you will need to rub the patient’s temples with halves of a freshly cut raw onion.

Dehydration

Dehydration is often observed in children due to an intestinal or acute respiratory infection. When a baby loses a lot of fluid during prolonged bouts of diarrhea or with sweat, general dehydration occurs. Less commonly, insufficient replenishment of fluid reserves can be observed due to simple overheating in the sun.

Symptoms of dehydration:

weakness;
drowsiness;
dry mouth;
vomit; noise in ears;
headache;
pallor;
diarrhea.

The intensity of symptoms depends directly on the stage of dehydration.

The most severe is considered to be grade 3, in which the child has difficulty breathing, there is no urination, and convulsions may occur.

First aid

Soldering will help with the first and second stages of dehydration. Depending on the accompanying symptoms, chamomile tea (for fever), rice water (for diarrhea), ready-made pharmacy or self-made mineral solutions can be used. In severe cases of dehydration, intravenous fluid infusion is indicated.

Prevention

In order not to think about what to do if a child has a headache in the temples, you can protect him from the onset of a painful condition in the following ways:

Do not demand excellent grades from him at school, do not scold him for failures in his studies.
Do not overload yourself with activities in various clubs and sections.
Make sure your child eats properly.
Ventilate your home well every day.
Protect the baby from family quarrels and showdowns, and in general any stressful situations.
Allow your child to walk outdoors every day.
Limit your time watching TV and playing computer games.
Make sure your child goes to bed no later than nine o'clock in the evening.

Each parent is responsible for the life and health of their child. Therefore, if he complains that he has a headache in his temples, it is urgent to show the baby to the pediatrician. Timely treatment will help avoid adverse health consequences.