Migraine
My teenage daughter has been complaining of recurrent headaches over the past couple of months. Our doctor has diagnosed migraine, but surely at 14 she is too young to be suffering from this?
Your daughter is not too young to be experiencing migraines. She is fortunate that your doctor was quick to recognise it, as many cases of migraine in children and young adults go undiagnosed and therefore untreated. By 12 years of age migraine has been estimated to affect approximately 10 per cent of children. At this age it is equally common in boys and girls, with the onset in females closely linked to the start of their menstrual periods. After this age, the condition is three times more common in women than in men.
I have never suffered from it but my wife and her sister both get migraine headaches. Is there a familial link?
Although the exact cause of migraine remains a mystery, it is thought that certain triggers can result in an imbalance of chemicals in the brains of susceptible individuals. This causes the blood vessels in the brain to expand, making the area around the vessels irritated and inflamed. The irritation and dilation of the blood vessels is thought to be the cause of the throbbing pain experienced by migraine sufferers in their temples. As migraine does seem to run in some families, genetics are also thought to play a part in the condition. Research has shown that about 60 per cent of people with migraine have a family history of the condition, with the mother being the most commonly affected family relative.
Our doctor said we should try to identify triggers. What did he mean by this?
Some migraine sufferers find that certain things precipitate a migraine attack. These factors are known as triggers and can include diet, physical exertion, emotions, hormonal changes and environmental factors. As triggers can vary widely, it is useful to encourage your daughter to keep a diary to record when her migraines come on and to help pinpoint any contributing factors. If she can identify any triggers or patterns to her headaches, she should avoid or minimise her exposure to them. This may help reduce the frequency of the attacks but is unlikely to prevent a recurrence of the headaches. Lifestyle changes and relaxation exercises will help reduce the impact migraine headaches have on her life. Although prescription migraine drugs are not usually given to children, your doctor can advise on the use of analgesics and other medications available for the treatment of the condition.
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Marion Kerr