Headaches In Children: Causes And Treatment – I’m A Mom
Exactly 69 percent of children experience some episode of headache during childhood. Even though headaches in children are caused by several factors, in most cases it is not caused by any very worrying factor. However, we must be aware that, in some cases, this can be linked to a serious illness.
Factors that cause headaches in children
Headache can be of two types, depending on the origin: primary and secondary headaches. A primary headache causes some change in your brain ; it can be caused by chemicals, dilated blood vessels, or muscle tension.
Secondary headache is one that presents itself as a symptom of some other illness. Some of the most common are:
- Infectious diseases.
- Non-infectious illnesses like the flu, a cold or any other viral illness.
- Skull trauma.
- Allergies or food sensitivity.
- Physical exhaustion.
- Hunger or dehydration.
- Problems with teeth or gums.
- Use of
drugs
or the action of toxins.
It is very important not to self-diagnose the child and take him to the pediatrician so that he can undergo a medical examination and the real cause can be determined.
Although it is not common, there is also the possibility that headaches in children are a symptom of a more serious illness. Therefore, if your child has severe headaches, it is important that the doctor take a look at the entire medical history and perform a thorough examination.
Likewise, we must act if the child has any of the following complications:
1. Sickness or loss of vision.
2. Stiff neck or weakness somewhere in the body.
3. Speech loss ; the child finds it difficult to pronounce words or alters their order.
4. Mental Confusion.
How to take care of my child at home?
As we have seen, headache can be caused by several reasons. Based on this, we can increase the child’s care at home and help reduce symptoms in the following ways:
- It is important to provide a place to
rest
nice where she can lie down and sleep if she wants to. For headache sufferers, the noises are very annoying. Therefore, it is recommended that such a place be as quiet as possible and that it be dark. - We must not force our child to make an effort.
- If the child suffers from a headache because he is hungry or dehydrated, it is very important to use our best weapons so that he eats well and drinks lots of water. This way, we avoid any more serious complications.
- We can give a pain reliever when headache symptoms start if she has very intense episodes and especially if she is diagnosed and suffers from migraines. However, it is released whenever the pediatrician authorizes us.
- If the child’s headache is not very bad, we can help him to be distracted so that he can be entertained and forget, as far as possible, the headache.
Advice to prevent headaches in children
- If the cause of the headache is stress or tension, it ‘s critical to keep some
schedules
and regular disciplines
to try to end this pain as quickly as possible. It is advisable to have a fixed schedule for school activities, exercise, leisure, sleep, etc. - It is very important to find out if there is a trigger that triggers these crises. For example: do they occur whenever the child comes home from school? When does she exercise a lot? After eating? This will help us determine what is happening and take steps to help us prevent headaches.
- Avoid closed spaces and with lots of people who can provoke
affliction
in the child.
- Go to the optician and check the child’s vision. It is recommended to see the ophthalmologist after the start of each new school year. That way, we’ll make sure that the child doesn’t have vision problems, and, in case they have these problems, we’ll prevent them from suffering the headaches that are often accompanied by problems.
- Prevent exposure to the sun without protection.
If, despite these measures, your child does not show improvement or if the headache increases, a new consultation with the pediatrician may be necessary to carry out tests that can assess the symptoms and study their situation in depth.
