Vomiting after mild head injury is related to migraine

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether vomiting after mild head injury in children is related to migraine and to identify predictors of vomiting after head injury.

Methods: A series of consecutive children admitted to the observation unit of an emergency department after mild head injury was identified by chart review. A telephone interview with the parents or child or both was then conducted by using a structured questionnaire.

Results: Of 47 eligible children with acute head injury, 44 (94%) were contacted. The mean age at head injury was 7.4 years. Twenty-nine children (66%) vomited after the head injury. The likelihood of vomiting was increased if the child had a history of recurrent headache (p = 0.05). If the headaches were migrainous, the likelihood of vomiting increased further (p <0.002). All 15 children with a history of motion sickness vomited after the head injury. Family history of migraine, particularly maternal (n = 21), also predicted recurrent vomiting (p <0.001). If more than one of these predictive variables was present, the likelihood of vomiting was 100%.

Conclusions: History of motion sickness, migraine headaches, and family history of migraine are highly predictive of vomiting after a mild head injury.