Childhood Headache Increasing?
Last year, Dr. Marc DiSabella of Children’s National Hospital shared a report at the American Headache Society Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting regarding headache in children between the summer of 2020 and the winter of 2021. Although the report as seen online may raise more questions than it answers, it does give us a lot of food for thought.
Regarding headaches, researchers found that episodic headaches tended to decrease over this time, but that chronic and daily headaches increased. Nearly half of the patients said that their headache symptoms worsened. 12% said that their stress levels went down, whereas about half experienced worse stress and anxiety.
A further breakdown of information would be interesting. For example, most children reported that they ate and drank more over that time. Don’t you want to know – did they drink more water? Milk? Soft drinks? That question could make a drastic difference.
When did they eat? Snacks? Meals? And what was the difference between those who ate more, and those who ate less? For example, for some poorer children, the only half-decent meal they had many days was at school. So many children home from school due to COVID-19 restrictions found their nutrition decrease, not increase.
A CDC reported on weight gain:
…the rate of body mass index (BMI) increase approximately doubled during the pandemic compared to a prepandemic period. Persons with prepandemic overweight or obesity and younger school-aged children experienced the largest increases.
Longitudinal Trends in Body Mass Index Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Persons Aged 2–19 Years — United States, 2018–2020
Doubled! And this study once again confirms that problems we had in 2019 tended to get worse by 2021.
More than half of children reported less physical activity, and 62% said that added screen time contributed to their headaches.
This report does tell us some things. Yes, many chronic headaches did get worse, and this certainly may relate to a lack of exercise. But every situation was different. And some differences could be the involvement of parents, opportunities in the community, economic levels, and so on.
A recent article at Akeso Health Sciences reported on this study and others. Like anything else, the changes and instability that children have been experiencing over the past 2 years bring risks. In other words, some children may have thrived, others not so much. But it helps when parents are aware of the risks and finding ways to mitigate them.
Are children eating nutritious meals? Getting exercise out of doors? Do you notice changes in symptoms (headaches, stomach problems, paleness, irritability)? How about mental health? Are families finding creative, fun, and educational things to do together?