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Review
. 2024 Feb 2;14(2):216.
doi: 10.3390/life14020216.

Primary Stabbing Headache in Children and Adolescents

Maria Reimers  1 , Ilaria Bonemazzi  1 , Francesco Brunello  1 , Elena Cavaliere  1 , Stefano Sartori  1 , Irene Toldo  1
Affiliations
Review

Primary Stabbing Headache in Children and Adolescents

Maria Reimers et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Primary Stabbing Headache (PSH) is characterized by brief, focal, and paroxysmal pain ("stab"), occurring sporadically or in clusters. Data on pediatric cases are poor.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature review by searching PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase in order to collect pediatric case reports and case series of PSH.

Results: A total of 12 out of 162 articles assessed for eligibility were finally included. The prevalence of PSH and probable PSH varies from 2.5 to 10% among children with primary headaches and it is higher among children aged less than 6 years old. The mean age of onset is between 7 and 11 years of age. Attack duration greatly varies, ranging from a few seconds to several minutes. The intensity of pain is usually from moderate to severe. Associated symptoms are infrequent but may be observed (mainly photophobia, vertigo, nausea, and vomiting). Neuroradiological findings are usually unremarkable; EEG may show sporadic epileptiform abnormalities (up to 30% of cases). Preventive therapy is anecdotal, including treatment with indomethacin, trazodone, valproate, and amitriptyline.

Conclusion: PSH is a common but still underdiagnosed entity among children with primary headaches; further and larger cohort studies are needed to better assess, in particular, prognosis and response to therapy.

Keywords: adolescents; children; other primary headaches; primary stabbing headache.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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