Is it unusual for children to get headaches?

Question

My 8 year old daughter got a terribly headache yesterday while in school. When she got home she described the pain as being on the very top of her head. It worsened through the night and she eventually laid for hours with an ice pack on her head. During the night she spiked a fever of 102 but that has now gone away as did her headache.

She has never had a headache before and I found it strange. Should I be worried? Is this unusual?

Answer 1

Headaches, in general, are not dangerous, but when accompanied by other symptoms, can indeed be dangerous. Because headache combined with fever is a danger sign, you will probably want to consult a doctor within a day or so. The fact that it has subsided, and that it was not accompanied by a stiff neck or vomiting, is a fair sign that it is not life-threatening. Anytime your child has a headache and a fever together, the first thought is always meningitis.

Symptoms of meningitis:

* Fever – will usually be high, over 103.

* Severe headache – this is not a typical headache. It is extremely painful. It occurs because the infected lining of the brain gets severely inflamed.

* Vomiting - the irritation in the brain triggers persistent vomiting (more than just a few times).

* Neck pain and stiffness - this does NOT apply to sore throat pain in the front of the neck. It refers to severe pain in back of the neck. Looking down at your stomach (stretching the back of your neck) will cause severe pain. Some kids will refuse to even look down at all. They will keep their neck rigidly stiff. This occurs because the lining of the spinal cord is connected to the lining of the brain. When this infected and inflamed lining is stretched by looking down, it causes severe pain.

* Photophobia - this means that light hurts your eyes. Meningitis will cause someone to refuse to look into light, especially the bright sunlight.

If your child has all five symptoms, don't even call or page your doctor. GO STRAIGHT TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM.

The key to meningitis is the neck pain and stiffness. So if your child has severe neck pain and stiffness, and one or more of the other four symptoms, call your doctor to be seen right away, or page the doctor after hours. On the other hand, if your child does NOT have neck pain or stiffness, and DOES have the other symptoms, then it is less likely to be meningitis. If the headache is very, very severe, fever and vomiting are present, but there is no neck stiffness or pain, you should contact your doctor just to be safe. Additionally, fever is almost always present during meningitis. So if your child has a headache, but no fever (and no neck stiffness), then you can be reassured it is not meningitis. In fact, headache, fever and vomiting, without neck pain or stiffness, is probably the just a bad flu virus.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - if you are not sure, contact your doctor.

General guidelines for headache:

- See the doctor immediately or call 911 if:

* Your child's headache is so severe that she is not able to do anything

* Your child's headache is accompanied by other symptoms such as unsteady walking, unclear speech or blurry vision.

* Your child has both a headache AND high fever (usually above 103).

* Your child's headache is accompanied by a stiff neck or vomiting.

* Your child's headache is accompanied by reduced consciousness or extreme tiredness (lethargy).



- Make an appointment with your doctor if:

* Your child has a headache in the morning, or if she wakes in the middle of the night due to a headache.

* Your child has a headache that lasts more than just a few hours, and does not go away when she is given pain-relievers, such as acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.

* Your child complains constantly of headaches or has repeated attacks of severe headaches.

* Your child's headaches interferes with her happiness, quality of life, schooling or other activities.

HTH

Answer 2

I agree that you should take her for a checkup. If everything is fine then it could be that she didn't have enough water to drink that day or too much sugar and was crashing. Also she could've overheated if you're in a warm area or she was wearing a winter coat indoors for too long.

Dehydration is the usual cause for headaches, but I'm not sure about fever. So ensure that she drinks enough water, and not too much pop. Also the same goes for sugar, make sure to give her whole grains(which has good nutrients too). The last one I get sometimes, today I was in a car and started to feel funny because of the heat.

But no matter what, just get her a quick checkup to ensure optimal health, and because if it's a sign of something else, it's best to nip it early then wait until it gets worse.

Best wishes for good health.

Answer 3

When I was about that age I started to get headaches almost everyday. But as I got older they reduced to like, 1 or 2 a month. If she starts to throw up or complain about it again give her motrin or tylenol but it could just be a passing bug:( I hope she never gets them again though because they hurt very badly.

Answer 4

This is KIND of unusual. I would take her in for a checkup, just to be safe, and have her explain where the pain was. I'm not trying to scare you, but it could be as minor as just a headache, to as bad as some kind of disease. Just to be sure, have her doctor check her out.