Often, parents are frightened by the appearance of a headache in a child, as this is the only non-specific symptom that is not able to accurately inform about a particular disease. There are quite a few reasons, and not always they will be associated with pathologies. In many cases, children suffer from simple overwork or emotional distress.
Statistics
According to surveys, a child's headache is the second most common ailment in terms of frequency of occurrence. This is a fairly common occurrence. Most often, children complain only of pain in the abdomen. The head can hurt not only in adolescents, but also in newborns.
In infants in such situations, excessive tearfulness appears. Their sleep is disturbed. They can also burp like a fountain. Between the ages of 1 and 3, children are tired and need more attention.
At school age, a child's headache is much more common than in young children. On hergirls and boys complain, with the former somewhat more often.
Main reasons
Headaches in a child can occur due to various factors. They are usually divided into two categories:
- Pains of organic origin appear due to serious disorders or infectious processes inside the skull. These include, for example, encephalitis and meningitis, as well as tumor formations and cysts.
- Functional pains are the result of circulatory disorders in the brain due to fatigue, diseases of internal organs and other causes that can lead to irritation of receptors located in the vessels of the head.
The causes of a headache in a child under 10 years of age can be covered even in malnutrition. It can be provoked by the use of certain products. These include those that contain nitrites, which cause vasoconstriction. For an adult, they are not dangerous, but for a child's body, preservatives are irritants.
In a child under 10 years old, trauma can cause headaches. It is at this age that children are very mobile. Sometimes there is no visible damage, but after a while the head starts to hurt. A certain influence is exerted by external factors that adults do not pay much attention to. These could be odors, loud noises, or bright lights.
Sometimes the cause is vascular disorders in the form of hypertension. Provoking factors include: heredity, sleep disorders, weatherconditions and some other external manifestations. If hypertension is present in a mild form, then the pain stops quickly.
A child can also suffer from migraines. Many experts believe that it is transmitted through the maternal line. The disease is explained by reduced production of serotonin in the brain.
Children often have neurological problems. In this case, the child has sharp headaches after a short period of time. They can get worse with movement. Simultaneously with them, involuntary contractions of the muscles of the face often occur.
Emotional state plays an important role. The presence of psychological overload leads to pain in the head. Stressful conditions can cause not only negative emotions, but also headaches. Moreover, even fun and active games can be a provoking factor.
Symptomatic features
If a child often complains of a headache, this should be paid close attention. Most often, such a symptom is a sign of some kind of disease. Importance should also be given to the nature of the pain present:
- Migraine is characterized by one-sided localization. The pains are pulsating. The attack can last for 4-48 hours. Along with this, the following symptoms are noted: general weakness, nausea, violent reaction to light.
- When emotional or physical stress pain is monotonous, but may have varying degrees of severity. They usually appear as pressure, tightness, or constriction at the back of the head, forehead, or crown of the head. Often tension arises in children who are learning lessons. If the position at the desk is not correct, blood circulation worsens, as the nerve endings are pinched.
- In the presence of vascular pathologies, squeezing or bursting pain appears, occurring in most cases with dizziness and nausea. It occurs most often in the morning. At the same time, the venous vessels in the fundus expand. The severity of the lower eyelids is noted, swelling is formed.
- Psychogenic headache in a child is usually bilateral. It is accompanied by other negative manifestations. For example, children have increased irritability, depressed mood, apathy, anxiety and other nervous conditions.
- Beam pain is very sharp. It is localized on one side in the immediate vicinity of the orbit. Often begins excessive lacrimation, redness of the face, difficulty in nasal breathing.
- In case of poisoning, sharp and acute pain sensations are noted, repeating with a certain frequency.
Diagnostic tests
If a child has a headache quite often, then a full examination is necessary. Finding the cause is not easy. This will require continued monitoring of his condition.
Laboratory tests must be carried out without fail:
- X-ray of the skullis an imaging technology. It is used for brain research.
- Computed tomography is a method of layer-by-layer study of the structure of organs. This technique is based on the measurement and rather complex processing of the change in the attenuation of X-ray radiation depending on the density of the tissue.
- Magnetic resonance imaging is a kind of scanning of the internal organs of a person using radio waves and magnetic fields. MRI can detect a wide range of diseases.
- Electroencephalography is a way to study the functional state of the brain by recording bioelectrical activity.
- Transcranial dopplerography - determination of the efficiency of blood flow inside the skull. The method is often combined with other types of research.
If the child has a headache on a regular basis, then the attending physician may refer the little patient for a consultation with a doctor specializing in a particular field of medicine. For example, sometimes you need the help of a neurologist, a child psychiatrist, an endocrinologist, or even an ophthalmologist.
Drug therapy
Not all parents know which headache pills to give their children. However, it is necessary to understand medicines. In any case, you will have to determine the cause of the pain. And only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.
Pills are often used to relieve migraine attacks"Caffetamine". They have a vasoconstrictive effect and improve the functioning of the brain as a whole. Despite the prevalence of this drug, the migraine treatment regimen requires an individual approach.
With a pronounced pain syndrome caused by overstrain, the drug "Ibuprofen" is used. Tricyclic antidepressants are sometimes prescribed along with it. From the age of 6, the drug "Amitriptyline" can be used. As for benzodiazepine tranquilizers, in some cases, Diazepam is prescribed. It is allowed to be given to children at least 3 years old.
For cluster headaches in pediatric practice, the drug "Cafergot" is widely used. Ergotamine, which is part of it, normalizes the condition of the extracranial arteries. This remedy should be used at the very beginning of an attack that has appeared.
It is not recommended to give the well-known drug "Citramon" to children with headaches under 15 years of age. It contains aspirin, which can have a negative effect on the composition of the blood. With regular use, Raynaud's syndrome may even develop.
Unconventional treatments
Thinking about what you can give your child from a headache, many parents forget about folk remedies that have proven themselves from the best side. It is not worth treating serious diseases with their help. However, if you have pain that is not complicated by any pathologies, you can try.
Folkfunds are in such cases the best option, since most medicines are not recommended for children. For example:
- Three herb tea helps a lot. It includes: mint, oregano and lemon balm. Herbs can be used separately if needed. Sometimes dry plant leaves are simply added to regular tea.
- Origanum and mint can be combined with fireweed. All components should be mixed in equal proportions. A tablespoon of the prepared mixture must be poured with 0.5 liters of boiling water. The remedy is infused for half an hour. It is given to the child half a glass 3-4 times a day.
- Green tea can help if you have a mild overexertion headache. It has a calming effect on the body. You can add a small amount of mint to it.
- Sometimes folk practice uses menthol oil. It is applied directly to the forehead and temples.
- For migraines, a more complex collection is used. It includes: dill seeds, lemon balm, tansy, lime blossom. The last three components are mixed in equal proportions. Dill seeds are added twice as much. Two tablespoons of the finished mixture accounts for half a liter of boiling water.
Despite the variety of folk remedies, only a doctor is able to adequately assess the condition and make decisions about what can be given to a child from a headache in a particular case. Some products can be dangerous due to a possible allergic reaction, so a strictly individual approach to solving the problem is required.
What conditions shouldbe created?
In any case, in the treatment of headaches in children, it is necessary to create certain conditions to avoid those factors that can have a negative impact. In order not to aggravate the existing situation, you need to follow certain recommendations:
- The child must receive all the necessary minerals with food without fail. The diet is required to include a large number of vegetables and fruits, as well as cereals and protein products.
- For a small patient, the daily routine should be carefully organized. The amount of sleep should be sufficient, but you should not go to bed too late. It is not recommended to strain your eyes for a long time, sitting at the computer or reading.
- The child should stay outdoors as long as possible. Of particular benefit are evening walks just before bedtime.
- The room in which the child is located should be regularly ventilated. It should not have too strong odors.
- It is necessary to create a comfortable psychological environment in the family. Constant scandals can affect the child. From nervous overstrain, he often begins to suffer from headaches. Adults should communicate with their child as often as possible so that he does not feel alone.
- For a general strengthening of immunity and normal blood circulation, it is recommended to engage in physical education. Swimming and gymnastic exercises can improve the condition of the child. With regular exercise, the blood begins toit is better to circulate in the body, the vessels are cleared.
Sometimes a severe headache in a child can be caused by a food allergy, so hard cheeses, dairy products, chocolate, citrus fruits and eggs should be given with extreme caution. With regular attacks, it is advisable to remove the listed components from the diet in order to exclude a specific reaction of the body from the list of possible causes.
When do I need to call an ambulance?
Sometimes the occurrence of a headache in a child in the forehead or the back of the head can be a serious reason to call a doctor. There are usually additional symptoms:
- nosebleed;
- fever;
- weakness in legs and arms;
- convulsions;
- eye redness;
- loss of consciousness.
Be sure to call an ambulance if there were any injuries before the onset of pain. Problems may lie precisely in them. Also, you can not refuse the help of a doctor in the presence of sinusitis or otitis media.
What can be done before the doctor arrives?
If the cause of the pain is known, it is necessary to continue to give the drugs prescribed by the doctor. In other cases, you should call a doctor. Before the arrival of the ambulance, you need to take the temperature of the child and conduct an independent examination. If any changes are found, medical staff should be notified.
To determine the cause of pain, the doctor must know when it started, what symptoms itaccompany, whether the child took medication, whether there were stressful situations or injuries in recent times. Parents should carefully monitor their child until the ambulance arrives.
If you have a temperature, you can give your child Nurofen for a headache. It has an antipyretic and analgesic effect. Especially for young children, the medicine is available in the form of a suspension, and not in tablets. If there is no temperature, it is not worth rushing to take medicines. It is better to wait for the recommendations of experts.
Before the arrival of the doctors, it is forbidden to carry out active activities such as massage, hot baths, etc. In some cases, they can greatly worsen the situation.
As a conclusion
Applying to the doctor at the right time allows you to avoid many negative aspects associated with the he alth of the child. Therefore, you can not neglect the complaints and nervous state of your children. Particular difficulties arise with infants, as they are not able to talk about pain. However, attentive parents can independently recognize in what situations it is necessary to call an ambulance so that the problem does not become global.
