Child with headache

If children have symptoms such as headaches, parents must pay attention to treating the headaches. Although headache is a very common symptom among adults, its incidence among children is increasing in modern society. Moreover, when children have symptoms such as headaches, they must be treated with medication carefully. So what should we do when children have headaches?

Headache refers to a symptom caused by the stimulation of pain receptors in the head by physical and biological factors, and is very common in clinical practice. It is estimated that 1 in 10 children or 1 in 4 teenagers suffers from headaches, which seriously affects children's studies and parents' work. It causes harm to children's health and psychological and emotional development. However, there is currently insufficient understanding of it and no formal treatment is available. In particular, the current transitional examinations have increased the financial burden on patients, and due to the stressful studies and fierce competition for admission to higher education, the incidence rate is also increasing. However, as far as migraine is concerned, the prevalence rate is 1.5-2% in European and American countries and 0.73% in China, and the incidence rate is 10~15% in European and American countries and 0.06% in China. According to the latest statistics, the total annual prevalence rate is 11%. 6% for men and 15%-18% for women. The lifetime prevalence is at least 18%. 18% of children aged 13 to 15 suffer from tension headaches and 7% suffer from migraines. Therefore, headache problems in children have become a public health issue.

What are the causes of headaches?

There are many reasons that cause headaches in children. A stuffy room, worries, anxiety, fever, illness, etc. may all cause headaches. About 20 percent of children experience recurring headaches for which no cause can be identified. But many headaches are caused by serious medical conditions. Common causes of headaches include:

1. Fever, use of certain drugs, metabolic abnormalities, etc. can all cause contraction and dilation of cerebral blood vessels, thereby causing headaches.

2. Migraine:

3. Tension headache: often caused by long-term mental stimulation such as mental stress, depression, tension between family members, learning difficulties, etc., and is more common in school-age children or teenagers.

4. Brain tumors:

5. Meningitis: When the meninges are inflamed and irritated, headaches will occur.

6. Problems with other organs in the head, such as sinusitis, glaucoma, eyestrain, myopia, otitis media, and toothache, may also cause headaches.

7. Systemic diseases: In addition to head diseases, systemic diseases such as hypertension, kidney disease, hypoglycemia, etc. can also cause headaches.

8. Emotional reactions, including tension, depression, anxiety, stress, etc., are also common causes of headaches.

What to do when you have a headache

If this is the first time the headache occurs, especially if it is accompanied by high fever, vomiting, stiff neck, photophobia and other symptoms, you must be careful. It is best to immediately ask a professional doctor to check to determine whether the headache is caused by a serious disease such as a brain tumor or encephalitis. If any of these diseases are suspected, you will be hospitalized for further examination. If it is determined to be a benign headache, no further testing is needed.

In fact, most of the headaches in children are benign and can be treated with ordinary painkillers. When a headache first occurs, you can give your child some water or some snacks such as biscuits, or take him outdoors to play in the fresh air for a while to see if it will get better.