A 5-year-old child has a headache. What to do, reasons

Headache is one of the most common complaints when visiting a doctor. It is generally accepted that cephalalgia does not develop in healthy children, therefore, when a 5-7 year old child begins to have a headache, parents do not always know what to do and suspect serious diseases.

Types of headaches in a child

Complaints about headaches can occur in healthy children, starting from 2 years of age, but children do not understand well what hurts them. Preschoolers do not know how to explain the reasons, characterize the localization or properties of an attack.

This complicates the diagnostic work of the doctor and becomes a cause for constant concern for parents. According to statistics from pediatricians, about 45-50% of children experience recurrent headache attacks between the ages of 5 and 7 years. Most complaints have logical explanations, specific reasons and amenable to therapy.

Cephalalgia is a medical term that refers to the manifestation of headache in children and adults. The symptom can occur against the background of developing diseases or be an independent sign of poor health.

A 5-year-old child has a headache for various reasons. To help him, the first step is to find out what caused the pain.

To facilitate understanding of the symptoms, international experts have created a special classification system that distinguishes between primary and secondary headaches:

• Primary pain. These are attacks caused by migraines, tension pains and cluster pains.
• Secondary pain. Seizures suggest the presence of infections, neoplasms, various disorders of the circulatory system, as well as injuries associated with neurology. In some cases, headaches are accompanied by visual impairment, nausea or vomiting.

Pediatricians note that, as a rule, headaches in children are of the nature of primary pain. They are caused by stress, various eating disorders or disorders, and disappear after taking pain relievers, do not require serious treatment and disappear completely if the regimen is adjusted day or diet.

Character and localization

A 5-year-old child has a headache - such a complaint has become one of the most frequent when contacting a pediatrician. The age of children with severe neurological difficulties is gradually decreasing.

At the heart of any headache is a violation of blood flow.

The following factors lead to this:

• insufficient development of the vegetative system;
• developing respiratory diseases;
• serious chronic diseases;
• various consequences of bruises, blows, injuries;
• nervous tension, which is associated with stress, anxiety, emotional stress;
• external factors such as prolonged exposure to stuffy rooms, sunstroke and its consequences.

The nature of primary headaches in children can be determined by the main signs.

For the definition, a whole system has been created that describes all types:

• Migraine. This is a throbbing pain in which nausea or vomiting is a common accompanying symptom. Children complain of migraine pain on both sides of the head, while in adults the pain is localized on one side. During a migraine attack, the child becomes pale, complains of loud noises or too bright light. When he turns his head, the pain increases. At risk are children whose relatives suffer from severe migraine pain. Migraines can appear at age 5, then disappear, but return at a more mature age.
• Voltage. This is one of the most common types and manifests itself as the feeling of a tight bandage around the head. The pain of tension is caused by various provoking factors, such as stress, emotional stress. Such pains proceed without nausea and vomiting, disappear after a change of position, light exercise or eating. But this does not mean that they cause less discomfort. These pains are very severe.
• Clustered. This type of pain is rarely seen in children 5 years of age, as it most often begins to manifest itself during puberty. Perhaps they are closely related to hormonal disruptions in the body. This is severe paroxysmal pain that is similar to migraine pain.

A separate type of headache is a spasm that occurs as a result of constant medication. In children, this may be due to complex treatment for other conditions.

Secondary headache has the character of a sudden attack, it is often accompanied by fever, apathy.

In this case, the headache acts as a concomitant symptom of the disease. At the same time, a decrease in muscle tone can be diagnosed, nausea, vomiting or fever appears. First of all, it is important for specialists to exclude an increase in intracranial pressure and correctly prescribe further treatment. When determining a secondary headache, the main attention is paid to the elimination of the main symptom of the disease.

By the type of localization, cephalalgia attacks are conventionally divided into several groups:

Plot	Peculiarities
Occipital	Typically, this is tension pain that occurs at the back of the head or at the top of the head. The attack is associated with poor posture or overloading of the neck muscles. To relieve tension in the back of the head, the child needs to stretch the shoulders and neck, do a little exercise.
Temporal	Pain in the temples indicates the presence of an autonomic disorder. Airing the room, a short walk can help the child.
Frontal	This is the name for the pains of the first half of the day, the cause of severe pain can be stress if the child is emotionally stressed, hungry, scared or overexcited.
One of the parties	A symptom of an early migraine when one side of the head hurts. The main task of an adult is to stop the attack at the initial stage so that the spasm does not cause nausea and vomiting.

Experts prefer to talk about the manifestation of migraine in children separately. This is a dangerous condition that, if ignored, can lead to serious neurological problems in the future. According to statistics, migraine occurs in 7% of 5-year-old children; this condition develops more often in girls than in boys.

Causes of headaches

Experts believe that the predisposition is associated with a hereditary factor.

In addition, there are several provoking factors that parents should pay attention to:

• Various psycho-emotional factors. In sensitive and vulnerable children, emotional stress can lead to a migraine attack.
• Food products. Smelling spices, drinks, dark chocolate and some types of cheese can trigger migraines.
• Exogenous conditions. Some children do not respond well to a rise in room temperature, dry air, bright lights, or loud sounds.

Migraines in children 5 years of age may be preceded by an aura, as in adults. This is a special state when the child becomes moody, says that he is not feeling well, but cannot explain why this is happening.

What to do

If during an attack no measures are taken to eliminate it, then there is a risk of developing a migraine status in a child. Neurologists advise stopping seizures and then starting immediate lifestyle adjustments. In most cases, if the child does not have serious neurological disorders, an increase or decrease in the load, the introduction of a strict regimen, and a balance of the diet help. Relaxing massage and physiotherapy exercises are great.

Treatment with analgesics in young children 5-6 years old should only take place under the supervision of a doctor. The child is allowed NSAIDs, but no more than 10 times a month on the strict recommendation of the pediatrician.

A 5-year-old child has a headache quite often. Seizures appear in those children who begin to go to preschool. This speaks of overstrain, stress, emotional imbalance. Such pain can be a variant of the norm, if it does not appear periodically and is not accompanied by additional signs. In other words, if a 5-year-old child has a headache, but this is rare and can be logically explained, then there is no serious cause for concern.

Experts name the following triggers as specific causes of an attack of cephalalgia:

• stress with strong muscle tension;
• imperfection of the nervous system, various disturbances in work;
• irregular meals;
• lack of a daily routine, characterized by strong temporal differences between the periods of wakefulness and sleep;
• overeating and the predominance of certain provoking foods in the diet (chocolate, carbonated water, cheeses).

A child has a headache for various reasons. A five-year-old child is unable to accurately describe his complaint, he does not understand how to characterize the pain: throbbing, paroxysmal, dull, pressing or tension pain. This makes it difficult to diagnose.

Children 5-6 years old can confuse localization zones. The only thing that can help in the diagnosis is parental attentiveness. If a child has a headache periodically, then parents should keep a special diary to identify triggers, describe the duration and nature.

When a small child begins to complain of a headache, attention should be paid to the accompanying symptoms. If during an attack the body temperature rises, then this may indicate the onset of a cold. It is quite another matter if severe nausea or vomiting appears with an attack of cephalalgia. First of all, you should calm the child down, put him on the bed, darken the room, remove all annoying sounds.

All parents are familiar with the traditional help scheme. It includes bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and eliminating dangerous symptoms.

If after 30-40 minutes. rest, the headache does not go away, then the child is given anesthetic. In the case of a migraine attack, the drug is given after 5 minutes. recreation. In some cases, with a migraine attack, the child can doze off, but wakes up sharply from the growing pain. At the age of 5, it is quite difficult to determine the increase in pain, children can be capricious, cry, thereby causing themselves even more inconvenience.

The most suitable remedies for children are paracetamol or ibuprofen pain relievers. If the baby is sick, then you can put a candle.

It is forbidden to use drugs that contain acetylsalicylic acid or combined analgesics to relieve a headache attack in children. It is strictly forbidden to use products with caffeine or phenobarbitol.

When the appearance of a headache in a child requires a visit to a doctor

If it is not possible to stop the headache or the attacks are repeated every few days, you will need the help of a specialist:

• Pediatrician. It is necessary to make an appointment with a pediatrician if the headache is accompanied by symptoms of a respiratory illness or a rash appears on the skin.
• Otolaryngologist. This specialist should be consulted if there is a suspicion of ear, nose or throat problems.
• Neurologist. This specialist can determine the nature of the pain by localization and complaints. After a visit to a neurologist, the child will be prescribed additional procedures.
• Oculist. The doctor will examine the fundus, check intracranial pressure and prescribe special treatment if the child has problems with this profile.

Additional examination methods when diagnosing headache can be:

• Ultrasound of the vessels of the brain;
• X-ray of the cervical spine;
• MRI or CT scan of the brain.

  

If the pain is not very strong, does not affect the quality of life, then the child is simply put to bed, the provoking factors are removed and given a plentiful drink. If a child has a headache periodically with severe attacks, nausea or vomiting, then it is necessary to consult a specialist as soon as possible.

Dangerous signs that require immediate medical attention:

• pain begins at the age of less than 5 years;
• when more than 5 seizures are recorded in 2 weeks;
• if the pain is accentuated in the back of the head;
• when the pains are unexpected and sharp;
• when the pain is intense.

The most dangerous sign of an impending stroke in childhood is intense pain, which causes the child to cry incessantly. To avoid damage to blood vessels, it is necessary to call an ambulance and describe in detail the signs during communication with the dispatcher.

Dangerous conditions, the combination of which should alarm parents:

• spasm occurs at night;
• during a headache, the child complains of blurred vision;
• if close relatives have never had cases of migraine, but the child has them;
• if the family history includes numerous cases of neurological disorders.

Each case must be analyzed. Usually, parents themselves find the cause of the manifestation of the headache, if they carefully observe the condition of their daughter or son.

Today, complaints from a 5-year-old child that he has a headache are not uncommon. An accidental factor can provoke a migraine attack or tension pain. Parents shouldn't panic. It is important to understand what caused the pain, then figure out how to stop the spasm, what to do to prevent it from happening again.

Video about the causes of headaches

Komarovsky on why a child often has a headache: