Changes in headache prevalence between pre-school and pre-pubertal ages

: Virtanen Ruut, Aromaa Minna, Rautava Päivi, Metsähonkala Eeva-Liisa, Anttila Pirjo, Helenius Hans, Sillanpaa Matti

Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD

: 2002

: Cephalalgia

: CEPHALALGIA

: 22

: 3

: 179

: 185

: 7

: 0333-1024

: 1468-2982

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-2982.2002.00337.x

The prevalence rates of headache in first-born children were determined at the ages of 6 and 12 years in over 1000 families. A headache questionnaire was mailed to 1132 families when the children were 6 years old, and to 1126 families when the children were 12 years old. Seven hundred and ninety-eight families responded to both questionnaires. The prevalence of headache before the 6 months preceding the questionnaire ('previous headache') was 19% when the children were 6 years of age and 31% when the children were 12 years of age. The corresponding prevalences of headache during the 6 months immediately proceeding the questionnaire ('present headache') were 16% and 19%. Variation in occurrence of headache was high during follow-up years. Maternal frequent headache (greater than or equal to 1/month) was significantly associated with the increase in prevalence of present headache in boys between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Frequent headache in mothers, fathers and siblings, and the occurrence of chronic illness, were also significantly associated with headache in the 12-year-old children.