All issues > Volume 49(1); 2006

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2006;49(1):71-75. Published online January 15, 2006.

A clinical study of migraines without aura in children : based on revised international headache society criteria

Bo Gil BG Seo¹, Myung Hwan MH Yoo¹, Jae Won JW Shim¹, Jung Yeon JY Shim¹, Hye Lim HL Jung¹, Moon Soo MS Park¹, Deok-soo DS Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Deok-soo DS Kim ,Email: dskim2@skku.edu

Abstract

Purpose
: Because migraine in children has different characteristics from that in adults, it is inappropriate to apply migraine criteria for adults to children. Recently, the International Headache Society(IHS) revised criteria regarding children's characteristics. Therefore, we reviewed the characteristics of childhood migraines without auras based on the revised criteria and compared the data with the findings of childhood migraine by the previous criteria.
Methods
: Among 102 children who visited the outpatient clinic of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital for the chief complaint of headache, we analyzed the clinical findings of 34 patients, who were diagnosed as migraine without aura, and probable migraine based on the revised criteria.
Results
: Migraines without aura were diagnosed in 27 patients(26.5 percent) and probable migraines were observed in seven patients(6.8 percent). The usual duration of headache attacks over 2 hours was observed in 12 patients(44.4 percent). On the contrary, 15 patients(55.6 percent) usually experienced headaches for one to two hours. According to the location of headaches, there were temporal areas in 14 cases, frontal areas in nine cases, occipital areas in two cases and diffuse areas in two cases. The striking point in probable migraines is that the length of headache was below one hour in five patients. Nine patients were diagnosed as migraine without aura, when the first edition criteria was applied to same patients.
Conclusion
: We found that the prevalence of migraine without aura increased by the revision of IHS criteria. We hope that migraines in children will be diagnosed correctly by the new IHS criteria.

Keywords :Migraine without aura , International Headache Society criteria