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Review
. 2010 Dec;14(6):424-30.
doi: 10.1007/s11916-010-0149-z.

Tension type headache in adolescence and childhood: where are we now?

Teshamae S Monteith  1 , Till Sprenger
Affiliations
Review

Tension type headache in adolescence and childhood: where are we now?

Teshamae S Monteith et al. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Tension type headache (TTH) is a primary headache disorder considered common in children and adolescents. It remains debatable whether TTH and migraine are separate biological entities. This review summarizes the most recent literature of TTH with regards to children and adolescents. Further studies of TTH are needed to develop a biologically based classification system that may be facilitated through understanding changes in the developing brain during childhood and adolescence.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diagnostic ambiguity of current criteria for migraine and TTH in pediatric and adolescent populations. Difficulties in diagnosing TTH in children from migraine include 1) frequent headache transformations; 2) changes in phenotype with age and sex; 3) coexisting migraine and TTH; 4) communication barriers; 5) not fulfilling the prior episode or duration requirement; 6) methodological variability in epidemiological studies; and 7) lack of a biological-based classification system for TTH and migraine
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