Management of

Headaches in Children
Michael Zimbric, MD
UCSD/Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego
Department of Neurology
Disclosures
 None
Contents and Objectives
 Explain who I am, why I am here talking to you
 General approach to headaches in children
 Types of headaches, diagnosis, management, treatment
 The headache pathway
 Guidelines and science on which it is based
 Suggestions for primary care providers seeing kids for
headaches
Who am I, and why are you
listening to me?

 General child neurologist at RCHSD x 8 years

 Sees about 1/3rd headache patients, every day of the week

 Asked about 2 years ago to generate a clinical pathway to assist

area pediatricians.
 With copious help from Dr. Whitney Edwards, the pathway was
finished and distributed
 Based upon AAN guidelines, experience
 It has been helpful in a handful of ways:
 Reduced ED visits, reduced imaging studies, specialist referral
 Several pediatricians have reported to me that they value the
stepwise approach and various options for intervention that the
pathway provides.
Headaches are common
 Data from 5 retrospective studies published between 1977 and
1991 of 27,606 children found the prevalence of any type of
headache to range from 37 to 51% in 7 year olds, gradually
increasing to 57 to 82% by age 15 years.

 Pre-pubertal boys were also found to be more affected with

headache than girls, whereas after puberty, headaches were
found more commonly in females.

 --AAN Guideline on Evaluation of Headache in Children and Adolescents:

http://www.neurology.org/content/59/4/490.full#ref-1
Migraines are common too
 Prevalence of migraines in kids:
 Ages 3-7 years: up to 3%
 Ages 7-11 years: up to 11%
 Over 11 years: up to 23%

 Prevalence of migraines among adults is up to 30%

 WHO: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/
 Main categories of Headache

Primary Headache Secondary

 Tension type HA
Headache
 Migraine
 Tumor/Mass
 TAC’s
 Vascular lesion
 Cluster HA
 Increased ICP due to other
 “Other” primary headaches causes
 NDPH, Ice pick HA…  Post-ictal
 Paranasal sinus disease
 Other illnesses
Continental Divide

http://ihs-classification.org/en/02_klassifikation/
 Time course/ presentation
Acute
 In otherwise healthy child, usually due to viral illness
 With focal neurological signs, can be intracranial hemorrhage
 Severe, with fever can be due to meningitis, hemorrhage
Acute, recurrent
 Attacks of headache separated by symptom-free intervals.
 Migraine, Tension Type Headache, Cluster HA
 Partial seizures, substance abuse, recurrent Trauma

Chronic, progressive
 Most ominous, can imply increased intracranial pressure
 Tumor, hydrocephalus, IIH, chronic meningitis, abscess, SDH

Chronic, non progressive

 Over 3 months, >15 HA days/month
Mixed
 Usually Acute recurrent on top of chronic daily/ non progressive HA.
Brain tumor Headache
 Incidence of brain tumors in children is 3 per 100,000 per yr

 Chronic and progressive pattern

 AM or nocturnal onset/occurrence
 Pernicious vomiting
 Personality change
 Declining school performance
 Diplopia*
 Head tilt*
 Gait changes*
 *Focal neurological exam abnormalities
Characteristics of Secondary HA

Also known as “red flags”

 Any new/unexplained neurological exam abnormality
 Constant, slowly increasing headache
 Neurocutaneous syndrome
 Age less than 3 years (+/-)
 History is less complete, exam less reliable

 +/- Sudden onset of headache

 Acute “worst headache of life”
 +/- Headache with exertion
 +/- Headache on waking in morning or during night
 +/- Posterior location
 ++/- Presence of VP shunt
Imaging
 From --AAN Guideline on Evaluation of Headache in Children and Adolescents:
http://www.neurology.org/content/59/4/490.full#ref-1

 Data on 605 children out of 1275 who had:

 Undergone neuroimaging
 Been examined by a neurologist

 Found:
 14 (2.3%) with nervous system lesions that required
surgical treatment.
 All 14 had definite abnormalities on exam
 No patient with a normal exam had a lesion requiring
surgical treatment
General approach to headaches in
children and adolescents: History
 Location   These are all basic
 Quality/character of pain things, but may not be
 Onset known to the patient or
 Severity family
 Timing/ Duration
 Context
 Associated symptoms
 Modifying factors  Headache calendar or
 Treatments questionnaire can be VERY
 Impact helpful
 Perception (of why/what the
problem is)
General approach to headaches in
children and adolescents: History
 Challenges can include:  Poor understanding of what
 Vagueness and hyperbole: often triggers headaches:
 “Sometimes”  Stress
 Dehydration
 “All the time” or
“constantly”  Missed meals
 Poor sleep
 “A while”
 Poor posture
 “Now and then”
 Bright light/ heat
 “I don’t know”  Caffeine dependence
 “Not really”  Physical inactivity
 “Random”  Certain foods/ additives
General approach to headaches in
children and adolescents: History
 Other elements of history to gather:
 Head injury/ concussion
 Bruxism
 Snoring
 Stressors
 Neck / Shoulder pain
 FH of headache
 Frequency of analgesic use, dosing
General approach to headaches in
children and adolescents: Exam
 OFC measurement, BP  Optic disks
measurement  Eye movements
 Sinus tenderness  Pronator drift
 TMJ clicks or pain  Ataxia
 Neck range of motion,  Abnormal DTR’s
shoulder muscle
tenderness
 Mental status exam
suggesting depression
Diagnostic Criteria: Tension HA

Episodic Tension Type Headache (TTH)

 A. At least 10 episodes occurring on more than 1, but fewer
than 15, days per month for at least 3 months and fulfilling
criteria B through D.
 B. Lasting 30 minutes to 7 days
 C. At least two of the following characteristics:
 1. Bilateral location
 2. Pressing or tightening, non-throbbing quality
 3. Mild or moderate intensity
 4. Not aggravated by routine physical activity, walking, stairs
 D. Both of the following:
 No nausea or vomiting (though anorexia may occur)
 Photophobia OR sonophobia (but not both)
 E. Not attributable to another structural or metabolic disorder.
Tension Headache
Pathophysiology
 TTH is common, though doesn’t tend to inspire many
researchers!

 Exact pathophysiology is not clear

 Prolonged nociceptive input from myofascial tissue, causing

sensitization of central pain pathways
 (Neurons get too sensitive, and pain is facilitated)
Diagnostic Criteria: Migraine

Pediatric Migraine w/o Aura

 A. At least 5 attacks fulfilling criteria B through D.
 B. Headache lasts 1-72 hours
 C. Has at least 2 of the following:
 Unilateral location OR bilateral frontotemporal (not occipital)
 Pulsating quality
 Moderate or severe pain
 Aggravation by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity
 At least one of the following present during HA:
 Nausea/Vomiting
 Photophobia and sonophobia (may be inferred from behavior)
 D. Not attributed to another structural or metabolic disorder.
 Migraine aura
 Usually positive visual
phenomena
 Can be negative (loss of vision)
 Can be paresthesia
 Can be weakness
Complex Migraine & Variants
 Migraine with other neurological signs or symptoms
 Basilar
 Symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency
 Vertigo
 Ataxia
 Diplopia
 Dysarthria
 Hemiplegic/Hemisensory
 CACNA1a
 Ophthalmoplegic / Retinal
 Can involve loss of vision, must r/o ophthalmic causes
 Confusional
 Cyclic Vomiting
 Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo
 Alice in Wonderland syndrome
 Occur in children almost exclusively
Lewis Carroll
Migraine Pathophysiology
 This is also not entirely understood
 Pre-existing (interictal) state of neuronal hyper-excitability
 Lower “threshold”
 Prodrome of symptoms such as fatigue, mental dullness, maybe
food craving
 Cortical spreading depression (this is associated with aura)
 2-6 mm/min
 K+ and Glutamate released, excitatory for trigeminal neurons
 Then, dural blood vessels are stimulated to release plasma
proteins and pain-generating substances.
 The resultant state of sterile inflammation is accompanied by
further vasodilation, producing pain.
 Cutaneous allodynia, some vascular motor changes
 Mediated through trigeminal nerve, cervical nerves
 Pons/brainstem
Chronic Tension Headache
 A disorder evolving from episodic tension-type headache, with
daily or very frequent episodes of headache lasting minutes to
days. The pain is typically bilateral, pressing or tightening in
quality and of mild to moderate intensity, and it does not worsen
with routine physical activity. There may be mild nausea,
photophobia or phonophobia.
 Diagnostic criteria:
 Headache occurring on ≥15 days per month on average for >3
months (≥180 days per year)1 and fulfilling criteria B-D
 B. Headache lasts hours or may be continuous
 C. Headache has at least two of the following characteristics:
 bilateral location
 pressing/tightening (non-pulsating) quality
 mild or moderate intensity
 not aggravated by routine physical activity such as walking or climbing stairs
 D. Both of the following:
 no more than one of photophobia, sonophobia or mild nausea
 neither moderate or severe nausea nor vomiting
 Not attributed to another disorder
Chronic Migraine
 Headache occurring on ≥15 days per month on average for
>3 months (≥180 days per year)1 and fulfilling criteria B-D
 Headache lasts hours or may be continuous
 At least 5 attacks1 fulfilling criteria B-D
 B. Headache attacks lasting 4-72 hours (untreated or
unsuccessfully treated)
 C. Headache has at least two of the following characteristics:
 unilateral location
 pulsating quality
 moderate or severe pain intensity
 aggravation by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity (eg,
walking or climbing stairs)
 D. During headache at least one of the following:
 nausea and/or vomiting
 photophobia and sonophobia
 Not attributed to another disorder
Cluster Headache
Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia
 Not common in children, but good to know about:
 Attacks of severe, strictly unilateral pain which is orbital, supraorbital,
temporal or in any combination of these sites, lasting 15-180 minutes
and occurring from once every other day to 8 times a day. The attacks
are associated with one or more of the following, all of which are
ipsilateral: conjunctival injection, lacrimation, nasal congestion,
rhinorrhoea, forehead and facial sweating, miosis, ptosis, eyelid edema.
Most patients are restless or agitated during an attack.

 Diagnostic criteria:
 At least 5 attacks fulfilling criteria B-D
 B. Severe or very severe unilateral orbital, supraorbital and/or temporal pain
lasting 15-180 minutes if untreated
 C. Headache is accompanied by at least one of the following:
 ipsilateral conjunctival injection and/or lacrimation
 ipsilateral nasal congestion and/or rhinorrhea
 ipsilateral eyelid edema
 ipsilateral forehead and facial sweating
 ipsilateral miosis and/or ptosis
 a sense of restlessness or agitation
 D. Attacks have a frequency from one every other day to 8 per day
 Not attributed to another disorder
New Daily Persistent Headache
(NDPH)
 Previously used terms:
Chronic headache with acute onset; de novo chronic headache.
 Description:
Persistent headache, daily from its onset which is clearly
remembered. The pain lacks characteristic features, and may be
migraine-like or tension-type-like, or have elements of both.
 New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is unique in that
headache is daily from onset, and very soon unremitting,
typically occurring in individuals without a prior headache
history. Patients with this disorder invariably recall and can
accurately describe such an onset; if they cannot do so, another
diagnosis should be made.
 Diagnostic criteria:
A. Persistent headache fulfilling criteria B and C
B. Distinct and clearly-remembered onset, with pain
becoming continuous and unremitting within 24 hr
C. Present for >3 months
- Not better accounted for by another ICHD-3 diagnosis.
The Headache Pathway
 Developed with considerable help from Dr.
Whitney Edwards, and in conjunction with a
number of insightful pediatricians in the Children’s
Primary Medical Group
 Intended to help identify secondary headaches
 What needs imaging, additional testing, referral
 Intended to give physicians a detailed, step-wise algorithm or
structured approach to children with headaches
 Including correct diagnoses, treatment
 Intended to improve the pre-referral care, referral pattern, and
overall healthcare utilization (Specialist, ED, Admission)
 Utilization Management – Care at the Right Time and Right Place
27
In a project to improve access to Neurology, CPMG partnered with the RCSSD Division of Neurology to implement a multi-
pronged approach that included:
 Analyzing Neurology referral patterns;
 Developing a comprehensive algorithm for the primary care evaluation and management of headaches;
 Providing education, including a 6-hour free CME event taught by Neurologists for community-based PCPs, and
a Fireside Chat on Headaches;
 Instituting an authorization requirement for non-emergent imaging for headache; and
 Mandating a neurology headache form PCPs must complete for review by the Division prior to appointments
being scheduled.

The project also sought to provide

care at the most appropriate, timely
setting for patients. For example, with
the support of the Neurologists, PCPs
can implement key steps to manage
headaches in accordance with an
evidence-based Clinical Guideline that
Neurologists utilize. As a result, the 3rd
next available appointment for
Neurology was reduced from 68 days
in 2015 to 24 days in 2016.
Headache Management
1. Headache Hygiene

2. Abortive treatment

3. Preventative treatment

Headache Management
1. Headache Hygiene
 Physician educates, patient/family do

2. Abortive treatment

 Mainly medications

3. Preventative treatment

 Rx, Non-Rx, complementary/alternative
Headache Hygiene
 Sleep  Regular and adequate
 Meals  Don’t skip
 Caffeine  Not late in day, rare is OK
 Hydration  Number of bathroom visits?
 Exercise  Regular, enjoyable
 Ergonomics/ Posture  Muscle strain  Headache
 Stress  Primary trigger for most
 Sunlight/ Heat  Common trigger,
sunglasses, shade
Headache Hygiene:
Trigger recognition/ avoidance
 Headache Calendars
 Keep track of date, time of onset/ resolution, severity, other
features, treatment used, context and suspected triggers
 Help to define the issue for the patient and family, doctor too

 Smartphone Apps
 Migraine Buddy
 iHeadache

 Ecoheadache
Headache Hygiene: Diet
 Dietary triggers (worth mentioning or asking about):
 Alcohol
 Caffeine
 Aged cheeses
 MSG
 Aspartame/ artificial sweeteners
 Nuts
 Chocolate
 Nitrites/nitrates
 Aromatic foods (bananas, strawberries)

 Consider trying the “low tyramine diet” 

 Tyramine – breakdown product of tyrosine, from foods that are fermented,
aged, old
 http://www.headaches.org/2007/10/25/low-tyramine-diet-for-migraine/

 If dietary trigger is suspected, best way to investigate or confirm

is remove one at a time, keep a HA calendar
Headache Abortive Treatment
 Tension Headaches
 Rest
 Hydration
 Ibuprofen (10 mg/kg)
 Acetaminophen (15 mg/kg)
 Naproxen (5-6 mg/kg)
 Combination medicine
 Excedrin
Headache Abortive Treatment
Migraine
 Ibuprofen (10 mg/kg)
 In 4-16 year-olds 68% effective vs 37% placebo
 Acetaminophen (15 mg/kg)
 In 4-16 year-olds 54% effective vs 37% placebo
 Hamalainen ML, Hoppu K, Valkeila E, et al. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for the acute treatment
of migraine in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover
study. Neurology. 1997; 48: 102–107.

 Sumatriptan (oral 25, 50, 100 mg / nasal spray)

 Efficacy range from 30-85% effective, 20 mg nasal spray showing
most efficacy (4-16 yrs)
 Ueberall MA. Intranasal sumatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine in
children. Neurology. 1999; 52: 1507–1510.
 Winner P, Rothner AD, Saper J, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
study of sumatriptan nasal spray in the treatment of acute migraine in
adolescents. Pediatrics. 2000; 106: 989–997.
 http://www.neurology.org/content/63/12/2215.full
Headache Abortive Treatment
Migraine- other options
 Excedrin  Intravenous
 Extra-Strength and
Migraine are the same  Included for completeness
thing:  Toradol/Reglan/Benadryl
 250 mg ASA/ 250 mg  “Migraine cocktail”
APAP/ 65 mg caffeine  IVF bolus
 Tension headache- 0  Bolus dose of Valproate
ASA
 Prednisone
 Anti-emetics  DHE
 Reglan
 Dramamine
 Ondansetron – variable

 Prednisone burst
 40/30/20/10 over 4d
Analgesic Overuse
 A significant issue for many patients
 “Rebound headache”
 May be one of the main factors leading to chronic headache

 The International Headache Society, American Migraine Society:

 Simple analgesics (Ibuprofen, APAP) > 15d per month
 Triptans > 10d per month
 For 3m or more
 Effects of this may be seen earlier than 3 months
 Treatment consists to stopping the analgesic
 Best done with a taper over about 1 week
Preventative Treatments
 Less “druggy”  Rx’s
 Riboflavin (Vit B2) 200 mg  Tricyclics
twice a day  Amitriptyline/ Nortriptyline
 Magnesium (various preps)  Anticonvulsants
 Titrate to GI side effects
 Topiramate, Valproate, GBP
 Feverfew  Cyproheptadine
 Butterbur  Course of NSAIDs
 Combination tablets  Beta blockers
(Migralief)  Calcium channel blockers
 Melatonin
Preventative Treatments
 Tension Headache  Migraine
 Amitriptyline  Amitriptyline
 Avoid in patients with long QT  Topiramate
or cardiac conduction
problems  25-100 mg BID
 Dose of 5 to 25 mg initially,  AE: reduced appetite, slowed
QHS cognition, glaucoma,
 May increase slowly to max paresthesias
of 100 mg per night  Cyproheptadine
 Occasionally given in 2  Liquid 2mg/5 mL, 4 mg tabs
divided doses
 AE: sleepiness,  Dose 1-4 mg QHS or BID
lightheadedness, dry mouth,  AE: increases appetite, tired
mood changes
What about the CHAMP study?
 Childhood and Adolescent Migraine Prevention
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3637406/
 Hershey et al. Headache. 2013 May; 53(5): 799–816.

 NIH-funded, multicenter, double blind, placebo controlled

 Children 8-17 years
 Episodic or Chronic migraine, with or w/o aura
 Average headache frequency was 11.4 +/- 6 days per month
 Dose of Amitriptyline 1 mg/kg per day, Topiramate 2 mg/kg/d
 Higher than we often use in clinical practice (esp Amitriptyline)
 Efficacy = relative reduction of 50% or more in # HA days/m
 Amitriptyline: 52%
 Topiramate: 55%
 Placebo: 61%
 Significantly more side effects in Rx vs placebo
Our reaction to CHAMP?
 A bit embarrassed, maybe

 But, we still try prescription

medications
 They will work for some kids
 Side effects can be
therapeutic (Elavil – sleep)
 About a 50% chance that
something will help
 Move more quickly to
something else
 PT, massage, psychology,
other Rx
 Spend more time focusing on
headache hygiene and
triggers
 Emphasizing psychological
aspects of treatment
 Positive attitude
Suggestions for PCP seeing kids
with headaches
 You are busy  Basic set of screening
 Many kids on the schedule questions/ history
 Many topics to cover
 Headaches may come up  Basic exam items
as a “by the way” type of
complaint, or a primary  Basic counseling items
concern.
 Follow-up
Limited Time?
Basic Screening – Looking for “red flags”
 Get a sense of HA type:  Exam:
 Location  BP
 Intensity  Extra-ocular movements
 Associated symptoms  Fundoscopic exam
 Deltoid, triceps, hip flexor,
 Get a sense of time course: dorsiflexors
 Onset  Finger-to-object, to nose
 Frequency  Reflexes
 Duration  Gait, including tandem
 Inciting factor/ event?
Limited Time?
Basic Counseling and “Homework”
 Headache Calendar  Schedule follow-up visit
 Ask to include: dedicated to headaches in
 Start/Stop time 2-6 weeks
 Severity
 Bring headache calendar
 Location
 Other symptoms  Bring medications
 Treatment  Go over what has been
 Suspected trigger? learned about triggers,
 Headache Hygiene alleviating/exacerbating
 EPIC dot phrase or handout factors, medications
 Appropriate abortive meds,  Consult headache pathway
dose, frequency of use (if needed)
Other Observations for Headache
Care
 It may be helpful to ‘walk through’ the headache pathway
with patients or parents
 The re-visit AFTER they’ve done the “homework” to
understand their headache burden is often MUCH easier
 Good documentation is important (as always)
 HPI, ROS, Physical Exam
 For your own follow up
 For referral
When is it definitely time to refer?
 For headaches that are more likely secondary headaches
 Due to a potentially ominous cause
 Headaches with papilledema require urgent imaging
 Headaches with new focal signs, no prior history of complex migraine may
require emergent evaluation (in ED)
 For refractory headaches, not improving with treatment
 See bottom of headache pathway
 For “other” headache types, not consistent with migraine or
tension headaches
 TAC
 New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH)
 When neurological exam is unclear or questionable
Summary:
 Headaches are common
 Migraines are also common
 Most headaches can be divided into primary or secondary
based upon:
 Time course/ history
 Exam
 Diagnostic criteria are helpful
 History can be challenging, but details are important
 Both in diagnosis and in follow-up
Summary:
 Treatment options are fairly numerous, even if not all are
shown to be robustly effective
 A large part of treatment may be psychological
 Some or much of treatment is non-Rx
 Treatment may include a reduction in analgesic use
 Reassurance about diagnosis of primary headache is useful
Summary:
 Finally, a BIG part of good headache management is helping
the patient and family understand their headaches, triggers,
and alleviating factors to:
 Empower the patient and family
 Help to outline and reinforce a plan of action
 Create a positive outlook
Thank You!