What can cause a headache in a 10-12 year old child?

How to recognize a headache in a child?

Diagnosis of headaches in young children and newborns is carried out by a specialized specialist. It is difficult to determine at home, since children cannot yet accurately describe what is bothering them. There are indirect signs that will allow parents to understand that the child has a headache, but they are practically no different from pain in any other location. These include:

• anxiety, sleep disturbances, frequent crying;
• refusal to eat, weight loss;
• some children constantly touch their head with their hands, they can pull their hair and tear it out, which is accompanied by increased excitability.

Children of preschool and primary school age may already complain of a headache and indicate in which area the discomfort is felt. In patients of this age category, chronic pain occurs in no more than 3-8% of cases, and in adolescents this figure can reach 50 and even 80%.

Prevention

In order to prevent pain syndromes, a specialist prescribes:

• frequent walks in the fresh air;
• restful and complete sleep at least 8-10 hours a day;
• elimination of stress and conflict situations;

• 
  in some cases, consultation with a psychologist may be required;

• for frequent pain of neurological origin, sedatives and plant-based sedatives can be prescribed;
• alternating sleep and rest, maintaining a daily routine;
• moderate exercise, avoiding heavy exercise;
• proper nutrition, use of vitamin complexes;
• rejection of bad habits;
• keeping a special diary in which you should describe the frequency of pain, the duration of the pain and the supposed reasons why the teenager has a headache.

Causes of headaches in children

Headache can occur at any age. Acute or chronic, it can occur in a specific area or spread to the entire surface of the head. Its exact localization, as well as the time of occurrence and the conditions under which it worsens, are of important diagnostic importance. One of the first criteria is the location of the headache, depending on this we can tentatively assume what caused it.

1. Pain in the back of the head often occurs due to tension during the day. They can also be caused by pathologies in the cervical spine and various postural disorders.
2. Discomfort in the temporal lobe often indicates autonomic disorders. Another cause of pain in the temples is diseases of the vascular system.
3. Pain in the forehead is one of the manifestations of hypertension. It is also diagnosed with increased intracranial or intraocular pressure.
4. Unilateral pain that completely covers half of the head is a sign of migraine. It is acute and occurs suddenly, regardless of the time of day and other factors.

Doctors at the Clinical Brain Institute specialize in diagnosing and treating children of any age, including newborns, who exhibit signs of headaches. Methods are selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of each patient.

Headache in a newborn

Headaches can be caused by birth trauma or fetal development disorders immediately before childbirth. They occur when there is insufficient oxygen supply to the newborn’s brain, which causes damage to individual cells and large nerve structures. Even if fetal development occurs normally throughout pregnancy, the following abnormalities may occur during labor and in the first few months of life:

• umbilical cord entanglement is a common complication;
• infectious diseases of the mother suffered during pregnancy;
• injuries and displacements of the vertebrae in the cervical region;
• congenital diseases of the cardiovascular system.

One of the dangerous causes of headaches in newborns is hydrocephalus, or dropsy of the brain. The disease is a violation of the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and leads to increased intracranial pressure, as well as constant compression of the tissues of the central nervous system.

Household reasons

Even a healthy child can have a headache. Constant fatigue, high stress at school and in extracurricular activities, stress and poor lifestyle are common causes of chronic headaches. Despite the fact that a child’s brain is capable of absorbing and processing a huge amount of information, the learning process must take place at a comfortable pace. In order to eliminate the simplest factors that can cause headaches, you should follow the basic rules:

• maintain a sleep schedule, provide the child with free time to play;
• spend time outdoors;
• provide regular healthy nutrition with the necessary supply of vitamins, including during the cold season;
• Minimize spending time in front of the monitor.

Tension headache is one of its most common types. It occurs not only in adults, but also in children at any age. First-graders (during adaptation to a new schedule), as well as adolescents 13-15 years old, are most often affected. Its causes are nervous tension, as well as prolonged stay in a sedentary position. A sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise can also cause constant discomfort.

Blood pressure abnormalities

Chronic, pressing pain that often occurs in the front of the head often indicates a pressure disorder of various types. These indicators reflect the resistance of all types of fluids that are present in the human body, including blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and aqueous humor of the eyes. If their balance is disturbed, this leads to constant discomfort and compression of the surrounding tissues.

If signs of headache are detected, an examination is carried out to determine the following indicators:

• arterial pressure;
• intracranial pressure;
• intraocular pressure.

Hypertension is an increase in blood pressure. If the indicators change slightly, this rarely leads to acute headache and other clinical manifestations. However, from 13 to 15% of cases of pain in the head are the result of a hypertensive crisis, which can also occur in children. Constant filling of the arteries with blood leads to disruption of the mechanisms of regulation of cerebral circulation. The patient develops hyperemia (increased blood flow) to the brain, resulting in headache, nausea, deterioration of visual acuity and even loss of consciousness. The attacks usually end within 24 hours, but they are dangerous because they compress nerve tissue and reduce the supply of oxygen to them.

Increased intracranial pressure is diagnosed in most of the population, including children of any age. This indicator is represented by the resistance of several substances: the blood of the cerebral arteries, the cerebrospinal fluid of the ventricles and the brain tissue itself. It is impossible to measure it at home, and accurate data is obtained only when strictly necessary, using an invasive procedure for determining the speed of cerebrospinal fluid flow. It is worth understanding that minor fluctuations in intracranial pressure do not pose a danger.

Ocular hypertension in children can be a consequence of congenital or acquired diseases of the visual system, as well as injuries or improper selection of glasses and lenses. Pain occurs directly in the eyes, and then spreads along the trigeminal nerve to the temporal and frontal regions. Other symptoms also appear: lacrimation, decreased visual acuity, which are especially noticeable in bright light. If you suspect ocular hypertension in a child, you should consult an ophthalmologist.

Migraines in children

Migraine is an acute headache that occurs especially often in adolescents. It is difficult to establish its causes, and treatment consists of the timely use of systemic analgesics. It occurs in the form of an attack and can intensify at any time of the day. It can be determined by its main characteristics:

• a sharp headache, often one-sided, but can spread to the entire head or to individual areas;
• the duration of the attack is from 5-30 minutes to several hours;
• dizziness, pale skin;
• in some cases - nausea and lacrimation.

Migraine attacks are difficult to distinguish from other headache manifestations. If they occur frequently and last more than 60 minutes, you should seek medical help. Migraines can begin in adolescence and often subside over time. The only way to combat deterioration during attacks is to take painkillers. Only a doctor can choose the appropriate remedy, the most effective and at the same time safe for the child.

Vascular pathologies

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels in young children are often congenital. In adolescents, they may already be associated with poor lifestyle and nutrition, lack of physical activity and excess weight. When diagnosing headaches, the Clinical Brain Institute necessarily conducts studies to exclude the following pathologies:

• heart defects, various types of arrhythmia, heart failure;
• abnormalities in the development of blood vessels that participate in blood circulation in the brain;
• ischemia (insufficient blood supply) to the brain;
• aneurysms and other disorders of the structure of blood vessels;
• cerebral hemorrhages.

Our clinic has all the conditions for a full diagnosis of diseases of the cardiovascular system, including in newborns and children of primary preschool age. It should be understood that such patients are shown a number of restrictions in everyday life that will allow the disease not to progress, so it is important to detect them at an early stage.

Psychogenic headaches in a child

Psychogenic headaches are more common in children over 8-10 years of age, but can also occur at an earlier age. They are associated with emotional stress, conflict situations in the family or team, psychological pressure and any other stressful situations, often combined with insufficient physical activity. Children complain of a pressing headache and discomfort, in some cases nausea or visual disturbances. Attacks can last from several hours to several days; chronic psychogenic headaches are also distinguished. They are less intense than migraines, but can last for days. There is a clear relationship between headaches and the exacerbation of the stressful situation that provokes it.

Spinal diseases

The cervical spine is a mobile and at the same time vulnerable structure. Here are the arteries that carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients to the brain. They are partially protected by bone fragments of the vertebrae, and blood flow is possible only if their integrity and correct location are maintained. If one of these conditions is violated, the vessels are compressed and blood flow slows down, leading to acute or chronic ischemia. Pain that occurs in the back of the head and can spread to the entire surface of the head can be caused by one of the following changes:

• osteochondrosis - thinning and decreased elasticity of intervertebral discs (the disease is associated with old age, but in practice it is diagnosed also in children and adolescents);
• curvature of the cervical spine;
• protrusion of intervertebral discs - violation of their location, the initial stage of a hernia;
• poor posture, prolonged stay in an unnatural position without movement;
• inflammation or spasms of the muscles of the cervical region.

Diagnosis of the cervical spine is included in the mandatory examination regimen for headaches. Also at the Clinical Brain Institute it is possible to analyze the level of blood circulation in the vessels that pass at this level.

Other reasons

It is important to determine the cause of a child’s headache, since the prescribed treatment regimen will depend on this. It is impossible to do this at home, but the doctors at our clinic are always ready to provide a full, informative consultation for parents. Painful sensations are not always an indicator of serious disorders and periodically occur in healthy children. Their reasons may be:

• incorrect selection of glasses or lenses;
• insufficient lighting while reading or doing homework;
• failure to maintain the recommended distance from the eyes to a book or monitor;
• sleep disorders;
• autonomic dysfunction is a syndrome that can manifest itself during intensive growth of a child.

Constant headaches can also indicate dangerous problems that require immediate treatment. Tumors and hematomas in brain tissue, vascular damage, trauma or infectious diseases (meningitis) - these conditions are rarely diagnosed, but are also taken into account during the examination.

Migraine

Migraine – most often occurs in children who have one or both parents suffering from migraine. A larger percentage is still inherited from the mother. Females are more susceptible to migraines. Migraine is unilateral in nature, the pain in the head is felt by throbbing. Nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite, and decreased performance are also possible. Intolerance to bright light, loud sound, this further provokes an attack. In children, a migraine attack is shorter than in adults, up to 5 hours. It is also often accompanied by a so-called aura. The most surprising and difficult thing for pediatricians is that childhood migraine sometimes occurs with atypical pain in the head and pain in the abdomen, which makes diagnosis difficult. This migraine is called abdominal migraine. It lasts about 3 hours and is typical for children 5-10 years old.

Children become very irritable.

There is basilar migraine - more typical for girls during puberty. It manifests itself as a combination of headache, dizziness, tinnitus, and there may be visual disturbances, numbness in the arms and legs.

Treatment for migraines is to get rid of the factors that provoke attacks. They are different for each individual case (stress, weather change, physical or mental stress). It is necessary to identify these factors and also try to avoid them. Also, if you try to sleep during an attack, it will go away after waking up. You can take a paracitamol tablet.

Diagnostic and treatment methods

Diagnosis of headaches in a child at the Clinical Brain Institute uses modern equipment and a team of specialized specialists. When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a pediatrician, and then you may need to consult an ophthalmologist, neurologist, surgeon, or otolaryngologist. To make an accurate diagnosis, a number of examinations are carried out:

• ultrasound diagnostics of cerebral vessels;
• X-ray of the cervical spine;
• MRI of the head is one of the most informative methods;
• electroencephalography - assessment of the functioning of various nervous structures.

Treatment is selected individually. In most cases, the headache goes away with age, but in some patients it persists throughout life. At home, you should provide your child with adequate rest and the required level of physical activity, minimize screen time, and provide adequate nutrition. Drug treatment includes taking analgesics (painkillers), antispasmodics, vitamins and drugs for correcting cerebral circulation. In our clinic you can get more detailed recommendations for the treatment of headaches in children of different ages, depending on the results of the examination.

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What measures should parents take?

If a teenager often has headaches, it is worth visiting a specialist and conducting a series of brain examinations for the presence of diseases. Each type of painful syndrome requires special treatment, and an incorrect diagnosis can lead to a deterioration in well-being and the disease becoming chronic.

Diagnostic methods may be required

• computer and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain;
• electroencephalography;
• biochemical and general blood test;
• examination by highly specialized doctors: ENT specialist, ophthalmologist, neurologist.

Some drugs cannot be taken at the age of 12-15 years, for example, citramon affects the blood condition and causes a reaction in the gastrointestinal tract.
To eliminate migraine attacks, you can take Nurofen, paracetamol ; for severe pain, take naproxen , phenacetin or ibuprofen .

with acetylsalicylic acid ; sometimes it provokes Reye's syndrome.

For intense pain, use sumatriptan . The medication is prescribed by a doctor after diagnosis.

Prevention

Preventing teenage headaches:

• Make sure your child eats healthy and stays hydrated.
• Make sure your teen spends enough time outdoors.
• Don't overload your child.
• Allocate enough time for communication so that you can identify problems at school, with friends, etc. in a timely manner.
• Get a good sleeping pillow.

Headaches may get better as you get older. Sometimes they recede temporarily and appear later in life. In high school, many boys' problems subside (especially migraines), but in girls the frequency of attacks increases due to hormonal changes.