More than half a million children in the U.S. sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. Adults who suffer TBI often report headaches afterward, but little is known about how often children suffer headaches after similar injuries.
In the study, “Headache After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Cohort Study,” in the January 2012 Pediatrics (published online Dec. 5, 2011), researchers analyzed the prevalence of headaches three and 12 months after mild and moderate or severe TBI in children ages 5 to 17.
Three months after a mild TBI, 43 percent of children reported headache, compared to 37 percent of children who had a moderate to severe TBI, and 26 percent of children in the control group. The risk of headache was highest in adolescents and in girls.
Study authors conclude that the response to and recovery from TBI is different for children, adolescents and adults, and that boys and girls are likely to have different symptoms and recovery. Because of the high number of children suffering TBI every year, the study findings indicate many children and adolescents suffer from TBI-associated headaches every year.
