MY CHILD HAS A HEADACHE

Tension headaches • Cluster headaches • Migraine • Allergy or sinus headaches

Children often get headaches, and some get headaches that keep coming back. You usually don’t need to worry about these, but see your GP if you’re concerned, especially if your child develops a sudden, severe headache that hurts most when she wakes up, or that wakes her up.

Causes can include:

• infectious illnesses – for example, sinusitis, colds or flu

• tense muscles because of anxiety, tiredness or teeth-grinding during sleep

• visual problems – for example, eye strain

• a head injury

• migraine

• medication – for example, oral contraceptives, corticosteroids and antidepressants. Younger children don’t tend to get tense muscles and migraine, although these problems are the most common causes of teenage headaches.

Not drinking enough fluids, insufficient sleep and too much caffeine can also cause headaches or worsen them. This is especially the case with active school-age children in summer. Headaches can also be linked to meningitis, brain tumours or bleeding in the brain, but these illnesses are rare.

Symptoms

Some headaches are mild enough for children to continue with their normal activities. But sometimes they can make a child feel really sick – your child might even need bed rest.

Pain from a headache can be sharp or dull, on one side of the head, or over the entire head and neck. The headache might feel like a pounding sensation, or just tightness in the muscles.

Migraines in young and adolescent children can have symptoms like throbbing pain on one or both sides, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and sometimes an ‘aura’ before the headache starts. A migraine aura affects sight or hearing. Your child might see wavering lights around objects or have ringing in his ears. He might also dislike bright lights and loud noises or want to sleep regardless of the time of day.

You should take your child to the doctor immediately if your child:

• wakes up because of a headache

• develops sudden, severe headaches that are most painful when she wakes up, and that come with nausea or vomiting

• has a headache that keeps coming back

• has a headache that starts to disrupt her home, school or social life

• doesn’t get better with the treatments described below.

Your child also needs to see a doctor immediately if he has a headache and any of the following symptoms:

• a high temperature; seizures; confusion or drowsiness; blurred vision; unsteadiness when walking; stiff neck; a head injury including concussion, or an unusual rash.

Treatment • Treatment for uncomplicated headaches usually involves keeping your child quiet – for example, lying down in a darkened room. You can try massaging the area affected by muscle tension. If pain goes on, you can safely give paracetamol according to the directions. Your child shouldn’t need to take pain medication too often. If this happens, talk to your GP. If the headaches seem to be related to stress, try to work out what’s causing it. You can then help your child avoid the things that make him feel stressed. If the migraines keep coming back, your doctor can recommend a plan to prevent and treat them.

Don’t give your child aspirin – it can make your child susceptible to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially deadly illness. Prevention If you think your child is getting headaches because she isn’t drinking enough fluids, especially in hot weather, try getting her to have an extra glass of water at breakfast and to drink water regularly throughout the day. Having a good sleep routine and avoiding drinks with caffeine like cola, tea and coffee might also help to prevent them.