Cincinnati Children's Study Provides Tool For Assessing Migraines in Children
CINCINNATI -- Although one of every 10 children and one of every four adolescents may have migraine headaches, a tool has not existed to assess the impact on their lives. Until now.
A neurologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has developed a questionnaire that can be understood and administered easily by parents, children and adolescents to assess the disability of migraines in children and adolescents and to monitor response to treatment.
In a study published in the current issue of the journal Neurology, Andrew Hershey, MD, PhD, director of the Headache Center at Cincinnati Children's, found that the questionnaire he and his colleagues developed "demonstrates not only that children and adolescents are significantly disabled by migraines, but that this disability can be measured and will respond to treatment."
Dr. Hershey developed the questionnaire, PedMIDAS, to get to the root of the problem with chronic illness: how the illness affects a person's way of life and quality of life. PedMIDAS asks six developmentally appropriate questions describing the features of headaches and general health characteristics. The questions emphasize the impact of missed school and a reduction in sports-related activities and friendships. The survey also includes a self-report of the impact of headaches on school and home functioning as a percent of ability.
For adults, disability has been measured by using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire, a tool that measures missed or limited paid work, school or household work, as well as family, social or leisure activities. But these measures were chosen due to their importance for adults between the ages of 20 and 50.
"A child's day-to-day life varies greatly from that of an adult in the workforce," says Dr. Hershey. "The impact of migraines may vary depending on the severity, duration and response to therapy. We've shown that school absences can be one measure of disability in children, but until now missing school was only one part of the disability question. Migraines can also affect home and family activities, extra-curricular activities and activities with friends."
For the study, a total of 441 children and adolescents diagnosed with migraines who visit Cincinnati Children's Headache Center completed PedMIDAS. The study "demonstrated its usefulness and reliability," says Dr. Hershey. "The instrument also provides a useful tool to assess treatment outcomes and compare responses to individual therapies."
Contact Information
Jim Feuer (
jfeuer@chmcc.org) 513-636-4656
