1. A Visual Guide to Migraine Headaches Slideshow Pictures
2. Headache and Migraine Triggers Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the Migraines Quiz

Medical Author:

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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A headache may be a symptom of a benign (relatively harmless) condition, or it may be a life-threatening symptom. The patient's medical history and physical examination results are often enough to identify or rule out serious underlying problems or conditions. Testing (laboratory or imaging) is employed to support a suspected diagnosis.

No specific laboratory or radiological test establishes the diagnosis of migraine headache. Doctors make the diagnosis through medical history, physical examination with emphasis on the neurological components, and clinical judgment. When considering a diagnosis of migraine headache, the doctor will ask about a child's medical history, previous tests, allergies, and current and previous medications.

• Children will be asked to describe how the headache feels (for example, throbbing, pounding, squeezing, pressing, pulsating, aching, burning, stabbing, dull).
• They will also be asked about the headache's location, timing, severity, causal events (for example, concussion, falling down), duration, and whether any relatives have migraine headaches.
• Other common historical evidence to support the diagnosis of migraine headache includes sensitivity to light and sound, tenderness in the scalp (usually where the pain is most severe) and a strong desire to lie down and sleep.

Conditions that cause severe headaches in children include both primary and secondary disorders.

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