What department should I go to for my child's headache?

Headache is still a common problem in life. There are many reasons that cause children's headache. If there is no obvious relief, parents must take their children to the hospital for examination. Generally speaking, you can go to the neurology department first to check what kind of headache the child has. If the problem is more serious, you can do an EEG or a brain CT scan. Let's take a look at this aspect and what are the causes of headaches in young children.

What department should I go to for my child's headache?

Neurology: There are many causes of headaches, such as neuralgic headaches, vascular headaches, tension headaches, migraines or local ENT diseases. The diagnosis needs to be based on the medical history and corresponding physical examinations such as cerebral blood flow map, electroencephalogram or brain CT and even endocrine examinations.

Causes of headaches in children

The first is organic diseases of the five sense organs:

Many children’s headaches are actually not problems with the head, but pain caused by diseases of the five senses, such as myopia, amblyopia, astigmatism, otitis media; nasal congestion, sinusitis, tooth decay, dental abscesses, etc. These factors cause head pain.

The second is muscle contraction headache:

This type of headache often occurs near the temples. It is caused by tension in the scalp muscles due to schoolwork pressure, emotional tension or excessive fatigue. It usually occurs more easily in the afternoon or evening and will be relieved after rest.

The third is the headache caused by psychological factors:

The headache of this type of patient is actually the product of psychological frustration. Many children often complain about headaches to attract their parents' attention. Some children who do not adapt well in school, are afraid of going to school, taking exams or doing homework, also use headaches as an excuse to escape. Parents need to observe and ask questions patiently to find out the cause of their children's headaches, and cooperate with school teachers to eliminate their children's headaches.

The fourth is migraine:

This is a headache caused by blood vessel dilation, often located in the forehead and occipital area. Usually the patient will feel throbbing pain on one or both sides of the scalp, and may also have some physical symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, photophobia, dizziness, eye muscle paralysis or half of the body immobility. Some patients may experience visual symptoms such as astigmatism, blind spots, and color illusions before experiencing a headache. Headaches can be prevented if vasoconstrictors are taken immediately when the aura occurs.

Finally, the real brain disease:

Such as brain tumors, encephalitis, meningitis, cerebral vascular obstruction, cerebral hemorrhage, etc., except for brain tumors which progress slowly, most of them are quite rapid and severe. In addition to severe headaches, patients will also have nausea, vomiting, confusion, convulsions or weakness in the hands and feet, and other symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, and may even be life-threatening, so they should not be taken lightly.