When the head and stomach of the youngest members of the family start to hurt, most parents think nothing bad of it. But sometimes migraine is behind it, and more often than one assumes. Experts estimate that between three and ten percent of children in Germany suffer from migraines. Migraines are not simply headaches. Rather, it is a disease that affects the whole person. In addition to the violent headaches that occur in attacks, the clinical picture also includes nausea and/or vomiting, as well as a high sensitivity to light and noise. The condition itself is a well-known one: even Hildegard von Bingen, who made a name for herself as a healer in the Middle Ages, suffered from this disease.
Children and migraine: symptoms
How do I know if my child is suffering from migraine? Among the most important symptoms, children suddenly stop playing, show no interest in their environment, and in many cases try to avoid light and sound. Nausea and vomiting or simply severe abdominal pain are also typical of the child form of migraine, and the headache that is predominant in adults may even be absent altogether.
Often, severe fatigue overcomes young patients after vomiting. “Sleeping off the pain” is what physicians call this leaden fatigue following an attack of illness. After waking up, the migraine is usually forgotten and the children behave normally again. Depending on the age, the migraine has a different effect. For example, almost all migraine patients younger than ten years vomit. Their attacks often last six hours or less, rarely more than 24.
Older children may be plagued by migraine attacks that last for several days. The frequency of vomiting attacks decreases with age, and many patients are more likely to suffer from so-called tension headaches as adolescents and adults.
Causes and triggers of migraine
The causes of migraine are not yet fully understood. However, a familial predisposition is likely. The attack is triggered in many patients by so-called “trigger factors”. These include bright, flickering light, sun, too much or too little sleep and also certain foods: chocolate, cheese, red wine, coffee and tea. To prevent migraine attacks in children, cutting out chocolate is obviously important.
Hectic, high-flicker computer games are also suspected of promoting migraines. Parents of young migraine sufferers should therefore make sure that their offspring do not sit in front of the flickering screen for too long and too often. However, stress is and remains one of the main triggers. Even at school, many children are under so much pressure to perform that they are regularly plagued by headaches or abdominal pain with vomiting attacks. If stresses are added in the private sphere – be it a family crisis or demanding hobbies that create pressure to perform – the problem is exacerbated. Positive stress, such as the anticipation of a trip or a party, can also trigger migraines.
It is important for the affected families to have a good diagnosis and advice from their family doctor or specialist. Other conditions must be ruled out before the diagnosis of migraine is truly established.
What can parents do?
At the beginning of the diagnostic process, parents should keep a diary for several weeks, recording the exact number of attacks, their duration and possible triggers (classwork, sports, child’s birthday, etc.). What and how much was eaten is also an important point. When a seizure occurs, children should be given the opportunity to retreat to a quiet, dark room and “sleep off” the pain. Often this is sufficient without the need for medication.
For prevention, good sleep management is important: regular bedtimes, going to bed only to sleep – not to watch TV, play video games or do homework, for example. In some cases, special medications can help when a migraine attack occurs. However, the specialist must decide whether and which agents to use.
