Fast Fact: About one in every 20 kids gets migraines— that’ s nearly 8 million children with migraine in the U. S.
Source: www. kidshealth. org
Minor Misery
Monica Schroeder / Photo Researchers / Getty Images
Studies have shown that many children suffer from migraine headaches, but there is still only one FDA-approved medication for the treatment of migraine in children. Axert was approved in April 2009 for adolescents ages 12-17.
The National Institutes of Health recently gave Cincinnati Children’ s Hospital Medical Center a $ 12 million grant to conduct the first clinical trials to determine the best medications to prevent
Children and teens miss more than 130,000 school days every two weeks due to migraines. migraines in children and teens. The trial, which will be a five-year study at up to 40 sites throughout the U. S., is being led by Andrew Hershey, MD, PhD, and Scott Powers, PhD, co-directors of the Headache Center at Cincinnati Children’ s Hospital.
“ Children and teens
miss more than 130,000 school days every two weeks due to migraines,” Dr. Hershey says.
The study will examine 675 children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 17. The goal is to compare the effects of amitriptyline and topiramate, two of the most commonly prescribed medications for children and adolescents with migraine.
“ The negative impact of having migraines on overall quality of life is similar to childhood cancer, heart disease and rheumatic disease,” Powers says.
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