One in two girls and one in four boys between the ages of 12 and 15 reported suffering from repeated headaches in a representative study in Western Pomerania. The quality of life of the affected teenagers is impaired. Experts are concerned that only one in four teenagers with recurring headaches consults a doctor, but 60 percent treat their pain themselves with medication or receive medication from their parents. These are key findings of the first major epidemiological headache study by the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG).
Girls more often affected by headache
If teenagers regularly complain of headaches, alarm bells should ring with parents. Girls are particularly affected. Nearly one in two girls between the ages of 12 and 15 suffers from recurring headaches. This means that girls are plagued by headaches twice as often as boys. “At the moment, we can’t say exactly what this is due to,” says Konstanze Fendrich from the University of Greifswald. “Perhaps girls perceive pain more readily, or they suffer more from headache-triggering factors such as stress. Hormonal changes associated with the onset of puberty could also play a role.”
Survey of adolescents at 20 schools
Researchers at the University of Greifswald surveyed a total of 3,324 seventh- to ninth-grade students at 20 schools in Western Pomerania between 2003 and 2004 about headaches and associated limitations. The result: around 70 percent of the young people recalled having had headaches in the last three months. Fifty percent of the girls and 25 percent of the boys said they had suffered from repeated headaches during this period. Since the experts assume that the situation of students in Western Pomerania does not differ significantly from that in other states, this means for the Federal Republic 1.75 million adolescents have headache experience and in 950,000 the pain occurs repeatedly.
Migraine and tension headache in adolescents
While the proportion with recurrent headaches among girls varies by grade – affecting 43 percent of 12-year-olds and 54 percent of 15-year-olds – such differences are absent among boys. If the researchers apply the strict criteria of the International Headache Society’s (IHS) International Headache Classification, suffering
- 2.6 percent of schoolchildren suffer from migraine
- 4.5 percent have tension headaches.
If the criteria are less strict, such as the number and duration of attacks, the picture changes: then probably 12.6 percent of adolescents suffer from migraine and 15.7 percent from tension headache.
Quality of life is impaired
Headaches significantly affect adolescents in all areas, especially if they suffer from repeated headaches. Body, psyche and self-esteem are significantly impaired in those adolescents who suffer from headaches. The pain also causes problems in the family and at school.
Take pain seriously
“What gives us particular cause for concern,” Fendrich said, “is the uncontrolled use of medication.” Only about one in four adolescents consult a doctor about repeated headaches, and only 3 percent see a neurologist or headache expert. However, more than half of boys and more than 60 percent of girls take medication. When asked what medications they take, adolescents named over-the-counter acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen. But they also use metamizole, which is available only on prescription. Fendrich: “On the other hand, it would be important to develop strategies in good time to prevent the pain from becoming chronic.” Because surveys of pain patients show that 60 to 70 percent of chronic headache patients already suffered from headaches in childhood or adolescence, but did not take them seriously. 10 tips against headaches
Life circumstances as a trigger for headaches
In order to be able to develop strategies against headaches in time, the researchers asked the adolescents about other life circumstances that could be related to the development of headaches. The conclusion: headaches are most significantly elevated in adolescents who repeatedly suffer from back pain.In other studies, tension and neck or shoulder pain also seemed to play a role. Abdominal pain is also frequently associated with headaches in children and adolescents. But the school-leaving qualification aimed at also plays a role: Realschule students, for example, have headaches somewhat more frequently than Hauptschule students, and the risk of headaches is highest among Gymnasium students.
Lifestyle rises to head
But media consumption also plays a role. Music, computer games, alcohol – the favorites of the adolescent lifestyle were found to be risk factors:
- More than one hour of music consumption per day
- More than one hour of gameboy and computer game per day
- More than two glasses of high-proof alcohol consumption per week
“We can now for the first time accurately indicate these risks, adolescents for whom these activities applied were significantly more likely to suffer from headaches,” Fendrich explains. No influence on the headache risk, on the other hand, seems to have the time spent in front of the TV and computer, as well as sports activities in leisure time.
Adolescents should keep headache diary
To understand the mechanisms that trigger headaches in teenagers, it is advisable to keep an appropriate diary. Although many teens find this measure annoying, it can help them identify triggers such as alcohol consumption or sleep deprivation as the cause of their complaints. Often, this already decreases the frequency of the complaints. Relaxation training can also help avoid taking medication unnecessarily. However, if migraines occur at least once a week in affected adolescents, prophylactic medication with the migraine drugs flunarizine or the beta blockers metoprolol and propronolol is advisable to prevent the headaches from becoming chronic.
