1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-6-74 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-6-10-2 Headache Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Headache and Depression http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 10 1992 01 07 2016 6 10 74 74 Copyright: © 1992 The Author(s) 1992 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Does a history of maternal migraine or depression predispose children to headache and stomach-ache?

A history of maternal depression and migraine was significantly more common and proportionately higher in children with abdominal migraine and recurrent abdominal pain in a study from Birmingham, England.

 Headache Depression Migraine

A history of maternal depression and migraine was significantly more common and proportionately higher in children with abdominal migraine and recurrent abdominal pain in a study from Birmingham, England. At a structured interview with a printed recording sheet, 27% of mothers gave a lifetime history of migraine. Mothers of children in the headache group gave a history of migraine 1.5 times more often than in controls. A total of 21% of mothers gave a lifetime history of depression. Significantly more mothers had a history of depression in the headache, migraine, recurrent abdominal pain and abdominal migraine groups than in controls. [1]

COMMENT. This study emphasizes the need to assess the mother when treating children with headache or recurrent abdominal pain.

In a study of 28 patients aged between 13 - 18 years with chronic daily headache seen at The Germantown Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, 86% were diagnosed with depression. Antidepressant medication, biofeedback and psychotherapy were recommended. [2]

Dr. J.N. Blau of the National Hospitals for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, London comments that “in migraine the plethora of theories provoke profound intellectual dissatisfaction” and that migraine may be a protective phenomenon. [3]

 Mortimer MJ Kay J Jaron A Good PA Does a history of maternal migraine or depression predispose children to headache and stomach-ache? Headache 1992 Jul 32 7 353 355 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1992.hed3207353.x 1526767 Kaiser RS Depression in adolescent headache patients Headache 1992 Jul 32 7 340 344 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1992.hed3207340.x 1526764 Blau JN The challenge of unexplained diseases: migraine J R Soc Med 1992 Oct 85 10 593 594 1433032