Epidemiology, characteristics and distinctiveness of headaches in children from Vojvodina, Serbia.

From 1988 to 2004, an investigation was carried out on a population of 30,636 children (50.38% boys and 49.62% girls) in 9 towns of Vojvodina, province in northern Serbia. Idiopathic recurrent headache was found in 27.46% of children aged 3-17 years (26.8% of males and 28.4% of females). Migraine headache was found in 8.63% of children aged 3-17 years (8.0% of males and 9.6% of females). Recurrent headaches showed an occurrence that increased with age in the observed group, from 16.65 to 32.87% in boys and from 14.23 to 40.50% in girls (ages 3-5 and >12 years, respectively). Of the children with migraine, 25.55% had migraine with aura, 67.21% had migraine without aura and 7.23% had other migraine types. Idiopathic recurrent headache was found in children at a mean age of 9 years and 2.5 months (range 3-17 years). The presence of both recurrent and migraine headaches was found to be higher than previously described. In children, these headaches appear to be significantly associated with incomplete families, a poor economic situation and being the second-born child. Children with recurrent headache were diagnosed and followed by a general practitioner in 31.5% of cases, by a pediatrician in 21.6% and by a neurologist or neuropediatrician in the remaining 46.8%. Normal daily activity was compromised in children with recurrent headache for 3.91 days per year.