Headache in a small child can scare even the most stable parent. How to understand what caused pain, what to do and when is the help of a specialist? All of this we asked the neurologist Children's Clinic Docdeti Daniyar Zuraev.
When a child first can face a headache - at what age and under what circumstances?A clear understanding that the headache occurs closer to preschool / school age. By this time, the child accumulates sufficient experience to assess its sensations. Circumstances are different: preschoolers may have injuries, and schoolchildren most often headache occurs against the background of overvoltage.
Headache in a child of preschool age - how much is this frequent phenomenon?More often than thought about it. However, in most cases, the child can designate a feeling of pain associated with his head, but it is not capable of describing the characteristics that will help the doctor to accurately determine the type of headaches. The older the child, the more precisely he describes his headache.
What are the main reasons for headaches in a child?Whatever it seems to be banal, but the reasons for everyone have long been known: overwork, inclimp, fasting, dehydration, redundant on-screen time, low physical activity, etc. The mansion is the provocateurs of migraine, there are many quite a lot, but children are more likely to have the factors voiced above. Of course, injury, infectious diseases, intoxication, visual impairment and other reasons affect the development of headaches.
Under what cases of headache in a child there are no reasons for concern?If there are no red flags and headache is stacked in the criteria for a specific type of headache.
If the headache is not accompanied by fever and is not a symptom of a cold illness, is it an alarming situation?This is just the most frequent situation and most of the headaches exactly look like.
What are the red flags to pay attention to the child's headache complaints? In what cases call a doctor or even an ambulance?Consultation of the doctor is required if:
Frequency exceeds 15 times a month or pain lasts more than one month;
Pain occurs every time in the same place;
The pain appears on the background of the usual provocateurs, but for the beginning of the pain becomes a sufficiently small negative impact of the factor;
Ceases to help preparations previously facilitated state;
The pain is accompanied by nausea and vomiting in the mornings or enhanced against the background of physical exertion;
Other suspicious symptoms appear: violation of vision or hearing, change in sensitivity, dizziness, etc.;
There is weight loss;
The behavior of the child is changing (aggression, indifference to everything, etc.).
Separately, it is worth paying attention to the headache against the background of fever, especially with the oppression of consciousness and suspicious rash (it is a symptom of meningococcal infection) or when weakness appears in body parts, speech disorders (stroke). In these cases, the ambulance brigade is often required.
How to help your child before the doctor's arrival?First of all, create a comfortable setting with silence and darkness. In most cases of relaxation in such conditions, it is enough to reduce pain, but other non-mediating methods can be connected (moistened fabric on the forehead, massage, shower, etc.). In case of severe pain, of course, an anesthetic can be given. Most often, for these purposes, non-receptible drugs are used, which includes ibuprofen or paracetamol.
If the headache takes place regularly, to which doctor you need to go to the examination and what are the tests, analyzes and procedures?Neurologist is engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches. Most often, before visiting the doctor, it is not necessary to perform research, since most types of headaches can be defined in the conversation process. But still it will be better if a diary of the headache will be filled to the doctor's reception. A typical diary is easy to find if you drive into the search for the corresponding request.
Does children have any features of the headache perception? Can they confuse it with something else?At the age of five years, children are often confused with pain with pain in other parts of the body. More often, they imitate other complaints to designate discomfort, which in fact it can not always be a headache. It must be remembered that any pain at an early age significantly changes the behavior of the child: from this and it is necessary to repel. About six to seven years, children usually very accurately describe all the characteristics of headaches.
If a child often has a headache in the younger age, can this testify to his predisposition to migraines in the future?In addition, children in the youngest aged sense almost does not hurt (if you do not take into the calculation of injury, ORVI, sinusitis and toothache, for example). Until the school age, the migraine occurs not so often, its equivalents are mainly arising: temporary dizziness, transient curve, episodic abdominal pain, but this is a completely different story.
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