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Headaches common for many children, study finds

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- Headaches, especially migraines, are a real and prevalent problem in children, according to new research released Monday.

Scientists at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio studied 577 children aged 8 to 18, who sought treatment for headaches. More than one-third were found to suffer from chronic daily headaches -- defined as having at least 15 headaches per month. Among children in that group, more than one-third had frequent but not daily headaches, nearly 44 percent had daily headaches, and almost 20 percent had continual headaches. Also, 92 percent of those having at least 15 headaches a month suffered from migraines.

Migraine headaches are vascular headaches that last about 2 to 3 hours in youngsters, but about 12 hours in adults.

Most children who have migraines have inherited the tendency from a parent. And while most boys who experience migraine headaches tend to outgrow them in adolescence, their frequency increases in girls, largely because of hormones.

Other symptoms with headaches -- including nausea, vomiting and/or sensitivity to light and noise -- may indicate a migraine.

The research is published in the journal Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology.

Stress-related headaches are the second most common type suffered by children. Often some behavioral and lifestyle changes can help reduce their frequency.

Though most parents resort to over-the-counter medications to treat a child's headache, instead of seeking medical attention, researchers caution that the approach could backfire. Youngsters could suffer what's called a "rebound" headache, a return of the headache after the initial episode, following treatment with some over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

According to the National Headache Foundation, headache sufferers spend about $4 billion a year on over-the-counter drugs to relieve headache pain.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Medical Correspondent, contributed to this report.



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RELATED SITES:
Neurology Journal
Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati
National Headache Foundation
MAGNUM - The National Migraine Association

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