Childhood Headaches: Current Treatments and Research

SUMMARY

This symposium discusses recent epidemiological and treatment advances in childhood headache.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Understand the epidemiology and long term outcome of childhood headache
Identify the psychiatric co-morbidities
Understand the evaluation and treatment of post-concussive headache
Identify unusual headache syndromes

TOPICS

Headache and School
Marco Antônio Arruda, Brazil

Chronic Daily Headache
David Rothner, USA

Autonomic Instability and Migraine: "I am tired, dizzy and my head hurts all the time!"
Eric Pearlman, USA

Autonomic symptoms have long been associated with migraine. However, they are usually reported as part of migraine aura or as a childhood syndrome as a precursor to migraine. Autonomic instability can worsen the severity of migraine attacks and lead to an increased frequency of migraine. Autonomic symptoms can also lead practitioners away from a diagnosis of migraine leading to a delay in diagnosis and effective treatment strategies.  In this presentation we will review the neurobiologic link between migraine and autonomic symptoms. We will also discuss other disorders that may be linked to migraine or exacerbate headaches in children and adolescents including Neurally-mediated hypotension, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Syncope. We will review the diagnosis and management of these conditions as well as their impact on migraine in this population.

Post-traumatic Headache
Kenneth Mack, USA