Headaches in School-Age Children in Istanbul

What is it about?

Headache disorders are common during childhood and adolescence, but their frequency and impact in large metropolitan areas are not always well documented. In this school-based study, we investigated how common headache disorders are among children and adolescents living in Istanbul, one of the world’s largest metropolitan cities. Because Istanbul includes many different sociocultural and socioeconomic communities, we aimed to reach students from a wide range of backgrounds in order to obtain more representative data. The study included 5,944 students aged 9–14 years from 30 schools located in different parts of the city. Diagnoses were made according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3 beta version). More than half of the students reported experiencing headaches at some point in their lives. Headaches were more common in girls and became more frequent with increasing age. Tension-type headache was the most common headache disorder, while migraine was seen in a smaller group of students. We also observed that a family history of headache, female sex, and some demographic factors were associated with a higher likelihood of headaches. Children with headaches, especially migraine, reported missing school days and experiencing limitations in their daily activities because of their symptoms. These findings highlight that headache disorders are an important health problem in school-age children and adolescents. Early recognition and appropriate management may help reduce the effects of headaches on school attendance, daily functioning, and quality of life.

Featured Image

Photo by Ibrahim Uzun on Unsplash

Photo by Ibrahim Uzun on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Increasing awareness about childhood headaches is therefore important for both families and healthcare professionals.