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Tension-Type Headache in Children: The Cinderella of Headache Disorders!

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2014

Shashi S. Seshia ,
Ishaq Abu-Arafeh  and
Andrew D. Hershey
Shashi S. Seshia*
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Ishaq Abu-Arafeh
Affiliation:
Paediatrics and Paediatric Neurology, Stirling Royal Infirmary, Stirling, UK
Andrew D. Hershey
Affiliation:
Headache Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
*
10 Stockton Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3P 1X2, Canada
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Abstract

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Tension-type headache (TTH) may be as common a headache disorder as migraine in children and adolescents. TTH has a neurobiological basis with genetic and environmental factors making variable contributions to the different sub-types. The diagnostic criteria for TTH in the second edition of the “International Classification of Headache Disorders” appear to be applicable to children. Anxiety and mood disorders may be co-morbid with frequent episodic and chronic TTH. Psychosocial stressors play an important role in precipitating and maintaining TTH. Hence, a biopsychosocial approach should be adopted for care. Standardized histories and examinations together with prospective headache diaries are the foundations for good management; attention to ‘red flags’ will help identify secondary causes that present with headache similar to TT. There are no randomized controlled drug trials for the treatment of TTH. Relaxation and cognitive behavioral therapies are effective. TTH in children and adolescents warrants greater recognition from the clinician and scientist. Studies focusing on TTH are overdue.

Type
Other
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 36 , Issue 6 , November 2009 , pp. 687 - 695
Copyright
Copyright © The Canadian Journal of Neurological 2009

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