Epidemiology, Characteristics and Distinctiveness of Headaches in Children from Vojvodina, Serbia

Abstract

From 1988 to 2004, an investigation was carried out on a population of 30,636 children (50.38% boys and 49.62% girls) in 9 towns of Vojvodina, province in northern Serbia. Idiopathic recurrent headache was found in 27.46% of children aged 3–17 years (26.8% of males and 28.4% of females). Migraine headache was found in 8.63% of children aged 3–17 years (8.0% of males and 9.6% of females). Recurrent headaches showed an occurrence that increased with age in the observed group, from 16.65 to 32.87% in boys and from 14.23 to 40.50% in girls (ages 3–5 and >12 years, respectively). Of the children with migraine, 25.55% had migraine with aura, 67.21% had migraine without aura and 7.23% had other migraine types. Idiopathic recurrent headache was found in children at a mean age of 9 years and 2.5 months (range 3–17 years). The presence of both recurrent and migraine headaches was found to be higher than previously described. In children, these headaches appear to be significantly associated with incomplete families, a poor economic situation and being the second-born child. Children with recurrent headache were diagnosed and followed by a general practitioner in 31.5% of cases, by a pediatrician in 21.6% and by a neurologist or neuropediatrician in the remaining 46.8%. Normal daily activity was compromised in children with recurrent headache for 3.91 days per year.