Management of migraine in children and adolescents in the emergency department and inpatient setting

Abstract

Migraine is a chronic disorder that can be debilitating, especially when the attacks are severe and frequent. Children and adolescents are significantly affected. The prevalence of migraine in this age group is higher than predicted due to more recognition of the disease in this population throughout the past century. Severe chronic migraine can cause failure in academic work and may lead to depression. Multiple medications are used to break an acute attack. Most approaches are based on outpatient treatments and include the use of over-the-counter medications and triptans and narcotics. This manuscript reviews most of the available therapies for acute treatment of primary headache that did not respond to outpatient management.