Primary headaches in adolescents: clinical characteristics

Cefaléia primária em adolescentes: características clínicas

THESES

PRIMARY HEADACHES IN ADOLESCENTS: CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS (ABSTRACT)^*. DISSERTATION. NITERÓI, 1998.

CLAUDIA TEIXEIRA DE ARAUJO^**

The clinical features of 53 adolescents presenting primary headache have been analyzed, according to the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS, 1988). The studied group was constituted by 53 patients, 35 females (66%) and 18 males (34%), whose ages ranged from 12 to 18 years-old.

The analysis of the headache characteristics allowed the diagnosis of migraine in 36 subjects (67.9%), tension-type headache (TTH) in 10 (18.9%) and TTH associated migraine in 7 (13.2%).

In the group presenting migraine (n= 36), 69.44% presented migraine without aura (MOA); 16.67%, migrainous disorder not fulfilling the criteria of migraine (MD); and 13.89%, had migraine with aura (MWA).

In the TTH group (n= 10), eight patients presented episodic tension-type headache (ETTH); and two, chronic tension-type headache (CTTH).

In the group having TTH associated migraine (n= 7), four had MOA and ETTH; two had MWA and ETTH; and one, had MD and ETTH.

Among those suffering from migraine, the headache was of a pulsating quality in 91.67%; mild to severe intensity in 100%; unilateral location in 38,89%; duration longer than four hours in 80.55%; and with aggravation by habitual activities in 91.67%.

In the patients presenting TTH, the headache was of a non-pulsating quality, mild to moderate intensity, bilateral location and duration longer than 30 minutes. Aggravation by habitual activities was mentioned by one individual.

Changes in the pattern of the headache in relation to menstruation and menarche were more frequent in migraine than in TTH. From the 35 females evaluated, 13 (37.14%) referred changes in the pattern of the headache after menarche. Among those, 10 presented migraine; two TTH; and one, TTH associated migraine. Only four (11.43%) related their attacks to menstruation, all of them having migraine. Only three migrainous females (8.57%) had previous use of oral contraceptives, and all of them did not refer any change, after their administration.

KEY WORDS: headache, headache in adolescent, primary headache.

*Address: Rua Caruaru 170 / 301F, 20560-210 Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil.

*

Cefaléia primária em adolescentes: características clínicas (Resumo). Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Federal Fluminense (Área: Neurologia). Orientador: Pedro Ferreira Moreira Filho.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  06 Dec 2000
• Date of issue
  June 2000