CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE WITH HEADACHES IN PREADOLESCENT CHILDREN

We have reviewed the diagnoses of 654 children aged from 7 to 14 years who attended a neurologist for headache evaluation. Headaches beginni ng between the age of 7 and 14 represented a higher percentage (18.3%) than the proportion of preadolescent children in our health area (12. 9%). Headaches were more common in girls; although cluster, posttrauma tic, benign exertional headaches, and the only case of brainstem gliom a were restricted to boys. Despite the female predominance, the propor tion of males with migraine was significantly higher in the preadolesc ents than in the over 15 age group. Migraine accounted for the majorit y of diagnoses (609 - 93% of the total series), while tension-type hea dache (27 - 4%), and headache associated with sinus infection (7 - 1%) were the diagnoses which followed in frequency. There were only two h eadaches (0.3%) associated with intracranial masses. Even though, in t erms of frequency, headache is a very common reason for neurology cons ultation, the present results show that the majority of preadolescents consulting because of headache suffer from benign conditions.