Headache in children: Effectiveness of multidisciplinary treatment in a tertiary paediatric headache clinic

Abstract

Aim The aim of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific multidisciplinary treatment programme for children with headache and to describe the concept and settings of the Children’s Headache Clinic in Denmark. Method All new patients were included and evaluations were conducted after six and 12 months. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments were offered by a team of specialists (physicians, headache nurses, a physiotherapist and a psychologist). Patients The subjects comprised 169 children (mean age 11.7 (range 4–17), 91 females, 78 males), 39% of whom suffered from chronic headache (≥15 days/month). All children were diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition; 20% had migraine, 34% tension-type headache, 27% mixed headache, 4% medication-overuse headache, and 15% were diagnosed with other types of headaches. Results Fifty per cent of the children had an improvement in headache frequency above 50% at six months. By the use of repeated measurement analysis, we found a significant decrease in headache frequency in all of the six headache groups, whereas the increase in quality of life (PedsQL™ 4.0) was significant for the group as a whole. Conclusion Though preliminary, the results show a good outcome for multidisciplinary treatment programmes for children who suffer from frequent or chronic headache.