A Clinical Study of Migraine and Tension-type Headache in Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to help diagnosis migraine and tension-type headache in children with chronic recurrent headache by comparing clinical characteristics of migraine and tension-type headache. METHODS: We performed a clinical analysis of 89 children diagnosed as migraine and/or tension-type headache by using international headache society classification with the aid of Prenky's criteria of migraine and Jay's category of tension-type headache. RESULTS: The diagnosed group consisted of 39 children with migraine, 40 tension-type headache cases and coexisting migraine and tension-type headache in 10 cases. In the location of the headache, the incidence of temporal area was significantly higher in the migraine than in tension-type headache(P<0.001) and the incidence of occipital area was significantly higher in the tension-type headache than in migraine(P<0.01). In migraine, 27 cases(69.2%) had pulsating headache which was significantly higher than in the tension-type headache(P<0.001). In tension-type headache, 18 cases(45.0%) had dull headaches which were significantly higher than in migraine(P<0.01). Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, relief of headache after sleep, photophobia, and visual disturbance among associated symptoms with headache were significantly higher in migraine than tension-type headache(P<0.05). The incidence of family history of headache in migraine(71.8 %) was higher than in the tension-type headache(40.0%)(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Diagnostic criteria are significant in diagnosis of migraine and tension-type headache. The characteristics of headache are overlapped in both headache types and there are differences of expression for headache in children, so there is a problem in diagnosing of headache type. The international Headache Society Classifications are useful for children, but there are problems that diagnostic criteria are too strictly applied to children.