Like adults, adolescents are familiar with the tight, aching throb of a headache. As uncomfortable as headaches can be, however, they aren't usually the result of any serious medical problems. Understanding their origins and recognizing symptoms of potentially more dangerous conditions will hasten efforts to ease the discomfort.
Statistics
Headaches are common in childhood, but they are even more common in adolescence. A survey of 9,000 children published in the American Family Physician journal reported that headaches affected 1/3 of children 7 years old and up, and 1/2 of adolescents at least 15 years of age. Of those children, only 2.5 percent of children ages 7 and up, and 15 percent of adolescents at least 15 years old experienced "frequent" headaches.
Symptoms
The primary headache symptom is pain, which may affect one or both sides of the head in the front, the back, or around the sides affecting the jaw area. Particularly strong headaches may cause feelings of irritability, fatigue, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting.
Common Causes
Some common causes of headaches include fever, sinus infections, migraines, vision problems, too much exposure to the sun, and tension. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), tension headaches are some of the most common headaches in adolescents. Many tension headaches are linked to common habits such as staying up late, overexertion, stress, dehydration, malnutrition, listening to loud music, using alcohol and tobacco, and spending too much time in front of a television or computer screen.
Warning Signs
Some conditions and circumstances that cause head pain should receive immediate medical attention. Take precautions when an adolescent experiences a headache in conjunction with a head injury, dizziness, seizures, recurrent vomiting and difficulties with vision. In some cases, these signs point to a head injury, infection of the brain, or a neurological or nervous system problem.
Treatment
Most headaches can be treated with little medical intervention. Simple remedies such as relaxation, deep breathing, lying in a dark room and placing a cool wet rag on the forehead can help relieve headaches. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also be effective in reducing headaches. However, a doctor may prescribe a different treatment if he determines that an adolescent's headache is related to a separate condition.
