Abdominal Migraine And Your Child
Unlike other forms of migraine, abdominal migraine is most common in children aged five to nine, with girls being more at risk than boys. Less frequently, adults may also have this form of migraine. Apart from the difference in the age when the condition normally occurs, abdominal migraine doesn’t have the characteristic headache that is usually associated with migraine.
It is known that children who have a family history of migraine will be more likely to have abdominal migraines, and that the majority of these children will develop migraines at some stage after puberty. At all times contact your physician when you have queries about migraine headache. The key to a correct diagnosis of abdominal migraine is the family history; a correct diagnosis cannot be reached based on the symptoms alone.
The main symptom of this type of migraine is abdominal pain. Abdominal migraine is not easy to diagnose because the abdominal symptoms could indicate a number of problems. Other symptoms are vomiting, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, loss of appetite, sensitivity to light and noise and appear pale. The child may have dark rings around the eyes and look flushed. The pain usually occurs around the belly button, lasts for one or two hours and recurs several times over the next one to three days. During this time, some of the other symptoms may be present.
With the International Headache Society categorizing the condition, it’s criteria must be met before a diagnosis can be confirmed. The criteria, from A to E, state that certain symptoms and time frames must be met before a confirmed diagnosis can be made. Once more your current physician is the individual to contact in the event you currently have virtually any complicated migraine. All other cause of the symptoms must first be eliminated before a diagnosis of abdominal migraine can be reached.
Abdominal migraine has only been a recognized type of migraine since the 1990s, but pediatricians in the 1960s were making the link correctly between these abdominal symptoms and migraines. Even then, children with repeat attacks of these abdominal symptoms were considered to have a childhood migraine.
This variant of the migraine is far less common than other types of migraine, or perhaps, it is less often diagnosed as such, because of the generality of the symptoms. No recommended pattern of treatment has been developed for this type of migraine. Once abdominal migraine is diagnosed, the treatment is similar to that for other forms of migraine. most of these patients are young children and this means that the traditional migraine medications may be too strong.
The symptoms of abdominal migraines are best treated with rest, but sedatives, anti-nausea and pain killers may also help. The child needs bed rest in a darkened room during an attack, just like so many migraine sufferers do.
Many migraine sufferers are sensitive to certain migraine triggers, and a child with abdominal migraine may be similarly sensitive. Known migraine food triggers could be eliminated from the child’s diet, one at a time, to see if any of the foods impact on the attacks. Common triggers include chocolate, citrus, preservatives, manufactured meats, artificial flavors and colorings, tomatoes and dairy products. Anxiety, stress and over-tiredness are other migraine triggers.
If you suspect your child has abdominal migraine, this information will help you get a firm diagnosis. Even if this isn’t possible, you could try the strategy of eliminating the major migraine triggers from your child’s diet in attempt to alleviate the abdominal symptoms.
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This article is certainly not medical advice contact your physician for any problems.
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