Prevalence and characteristics of headache and migraine in childhood

Introduction. A study of the prevalence of childhood cephalea has been carried on. Material and methods. We studied a sample of children aged from 3 to 14 years old that consulted to different public health services clinics for control routine. We used an interview based in a questionnaire planned to be answered by parents and the child himself: Results and conclusions. The more relevant results were: 1. Prevalence of cephalea 42%; 2. Prevalence of migraine according to Vahlquist and Kurtz criteria. 8.7% and 6.5% respectively (confidence intervals between 4.4% and 11.1%); 3. Higher proportion of girls for both cephalea and migraine; 4. Higher frequency of cephalea and the migraine type headache are facts related to the decision of seeking medical assistance; 5. 87% of children with migraine from the sample have relatives with intermittent cephalea; 6. Patients selected as having migraine, according to Vahlquist criteria, have the following predominant symptoms: Unilateral condition, vomiting/nausea, improving with sleep, photophobia, phonophobia, changes in physical facial appearance, need to interrupt activities, pulsation quality, and visual aura.