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Abdominal Migraine Symptoms in Children

An abdominal migraine usually happens to children and in particular those children whose parents suffer from migraine headaches. Most often abdominal migraines happen in children between the ages of 5 and 9. These rare stomach aches, however, can also happen to adults. And like migraine headaches, abdominal migraines happen to more females than males. Attacks usually last between 1 and 4 hours.

Abdominal Migraine Symptoms

Abdominal migraine symptoms are similar to those of many other gastrointestinal ailments. There's nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and dry heaving during an abdominal migraine attack, which can be the same symptoms as for migraine headaches. The abdominal pain is usually a dull pain with moderate to severe intensity and lasts about 2 hours.

In a child's case, severe pain may interfere with normal activities. Loss of appetite is also common during an abdominal migraine attack, but a child feeling nauseous may not be able to explain the loss of appetite.

Abdominal Migraine Diagnosis

Because abdominal migraines seem similar to other digestive problems, care must be taken that the right diagnosis is made. There are no definitive diagnostic exams that confirm abdominal migraines. Therefore, a patient's medical history and a physical exam are used to rule out other causes of pain like obstructions, peptic ulcers, gallbladder problems, acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Abdominal Migraine Treatment

The best abdominal migraine treatment varies. Most of the time, attacks are so infrequent that a medication isn't necessary. As with migraine headaches, abdominal migraines often have specific triggers and once these triggers are identified, they can be avoided.

Triggers that cause an abdominal migraine can include dehydration, low blood sugar, certain foods (especially those with nitrates), and lack of sleep.

If triggers cannot be identified, or if attacks remain too frequent and/or severe, a medication may be prescribed depending upon the person's age. A prescription abdominal migraine treatment may include a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, triptans or an anti-nausea medication. Natural headache remedies also work.

Living with Abdominal Migraines

As a child ages, abdominal migraine attacks usually become less frequent and stop altogether. The trade-off is that they are often replaced by migraine headache attacks in adulthood. These evolved migraine headaches usually have the same triggers as the abdominal migraine attacks that were experienced during childhood.

To keep the number of abdominal migraine attacks to a minimum, one should exercise stress-management, insure a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and exercise, and avoid the triggers.

A family physician is still the best resource for determining the best abdominal migraine treatment. Because treatments for migraine headaches and abdominal migraines are similar, the same treatment may be effective throughout a person's life.

The previous article is on Migraine Relief.

Always consult with your doctor or a certified professional trainer before undertaking any exercises, treatments, or dietary supplements.

Other wiki resources:  symptoms of migraine; migraine relief; basilar migraine; cluster headache; fibromyalgia; sinus headache