“When should I worry about a child's migraine?”
My son is 13 and he suffers from migraines time to time. His doctor gave us medication to treat it his migraines with. But I understand that migraines can mean something serious. When should I worry about a child's migraine?
2 Answers
Greetings,
The headaches are most worrisome when they are intractable, make the patient want to split their head open (so to speak), or when there are associated focal deficits (loss of sight, or facial palsy, to name a few examples). An imaging scan should be considered then.
Dr. Belinga
The headaches are most worrisome when they are intractable, make the patient want to split their head open (so to speak), or when there are associated focal deficits (loss of sight, or facial palsy, to name a few examples). An imaging scan should be considered then.
Dr. Belinga
In all ages, a complicated migraine is a cause for concern and emergency evaluation. A complicated migraine is one with stroke-like symptoms, such as weakness on one side of the body or sudden loss of coordination. Otherwise migraines are dangerous for the non-migraine things that can mimic migraines. It is now standard of care to have MRI imaging of the brain to be sure the headaches are not from another cause. These include blood vessel abnormalities, cysts in the ventricles, and many other rare conditions. Also, childhood migraines are most likely to occur with a family history of migraine, and if this is not the case, another explanation should be considered for the headaches. Hydration is extremely important, especially if there is vomiting (or diarrhea), which can also occur with migraines. Cognitive symptoms (trouble thinking, concentrating and speaking) can also occur during the headache, but should clear up within a day of the headache resolving.
