Cluster headaches can affect your child's ability to concentrate on his schoolwork or participate in sports and other activities. Cluster headaches usually don't appear until after age 10, according to Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago. Because these headaches tend to occur in groups, they can be particularly debilitating. If headaches are severe or chronic, your child's doctor can prescribe medication that relieve or prevent cluster headaches.
Identification
Cluster headaches are a type of painful headache that occur in groups, or clusters, throughout the day. The National Headache Foundation reports that those with this condition usually get one to four headaches per day. Headaches can occur daily for several weeks or months and then stop abruptly, only to start again weeks or months later. In some cases, the headache-free period can last years. Some people experience chronic cluster headaches and don't experience a remission. Cluster headaches tend to occur more often during the spring and fall months.
Considerations
Among kids, cluster headaches are more common for teen boys. The headaches tend to occur seasonally and often appear in the spring or fall. Because cluster headaches don't usually affect children and teenagers, they may be initially diagnosed as a symptom of allergies if they follow a seasonal pattern.
Symptoms
Your child may complain of an intense burning pain around one eye during a cluster headache. Pain also may occur in the temple, forehead, check or nose on that side of the face. The pain may always occur on the same side of the head or might switch sides when a new headache cluster begins. During a headache, you may notice that your child's eyelid on the affected side droops or that the pupil in the eye on the affected side looks smaller than the pupil in the other eye. Tearing of the eye and a runny nose can also occur during a headache. Your child may seem agitated during an attack and unable to sit still.
Treatment
Treatment options for cluster headache in children are similar to those of adult patients. Cluster headache treatment involves preventing or reducing headaches in the cluster and reducing and relieving pain. Beginning preventive treatment soon after a cluster starts can shorten the duration of the cluster and reduce overall headache severity. Your child's doctor may prescribe calcium channel blockers, lithium carbonate, corticosteroids, anti-seizure medication or ergotamine to help prevent headaches. When a headache occurs, inhaling oxygen may help reduce pain. Using sumatriptan in injectable or nasal spray form also may provide quick relief. Lidocaine, available in a nasal form, also may help relieve symptoms by numbing the painful area. Your child's doctor can determine what's best for your child's case.
