Migraine in Children - Facts and figures
- 66% of children aged 5-15 will have suffered from headache in the past year.
- 14% of children have severe recurrent headache.
- 10.6% of school age children suffer from migraine.
- 2.75 million school days are missed each year due to migraine. 85% of children in the MAA survey* lost time from school.
- The World Health Organisation has classified headache as a major health disorder and has rated migraine amongst the top 20 of the most disabling lifetime conditions.
- Childhood migraine commonly appears for the first time during the first three years of life.
- Migraine occurs equally in both sexes up to the age of 12, after which it becomes more common in girls.
- The general tendency is for boys to "grow out" of migraine, whereas girls "grow into" it and may well experience their first attack around puberty.
- It is very rare for brain tumours to be present with a history of headache, without other neurological signs and symptoms.
- Migraine in children lasts from 2-48 hours. 18% of respondents to an MAA survey* on migraine in under 18s reported attacks lasting up to 4 hours, 34% attacks lasting 4-8 hours and 28% attacks lasted longer than one day.
- The MAA under 18s survey* reported that 29% of participants had one migraine a week or more, a further 30% had at least 2 per month and 19% had one a month.
- It is a common misconception that visual disturbances (known as aura) are a pre-requisite for a diagnosis of migraine. This is untrue; migraine without aura is more common.
- Migraine is triggered by a huge variety of factors not just cheese, chocolate and red wine!
- Migraine in children can present differently from migraine in adults.
- There is a genetic predisposition to migraine so a family history of the condition can aid diagnosis
- Children with migraine can feel very worried, frightened and isolated by their condition. They may feel that no-one understands or is able to help them. Survey* respondents reported that less than half of doctors (47%) and teachers (43%) demonstrated an understanding of migraine.
* Migraine Action Association conducted a survey of migraine in under-18s between December 2001 and April 2002. A questionnaire was made available on the MAA website, accessible to both members and non-members. 117 responses were received.
Migraine Action & Jaguar unleash kids creativity
The Migraine Action Association & Jaguar launched a nationwide colouring competition to improve children's understanding of migraine.
Lawson Swinfield, Principal Designer with the Jaguar team, sketched a unique car for kids aged 8-11 to colour and add special features to transform it into a migraine car. 
The response was tremendous and we are delighted to announce that the top prizewinner is a Tamworth girl Sophie Burton aged 11. Sophie wins a set of branded goods from Jaguar Racing and a trip for 4 around the Browns Lane site.
Sophie coloured her car using fine detail, with soft, pastel colours, picking out areas such as the wheels with staples.
Sophie and her family were invited to the Migraine Action Association's annual Migraine Awareness Week Conference in London, where Sophie received her prize from Lawson.
Brogan Connor aged 10 from Corby scooped the second prize. Phil Hope, MP for Corby presented Brogan's prize of a set of Jaguar Racing branded goods at the Migraine Action Association's office in Great Oakley.
Brogan coloured her car in such vivid and exciting colours that it realistically represented a 
migraine!
Ann Turner, Director of Migraine Action Association says, I was delighted to see that children still have time for colouring and creativity. Some of the ideas were fantastic from a sick bucket in the glove box', a boot full of pills' to an automatically cooling head restraint.' Many of the children showed great insight into the reality of a migraine and its effect on day to day living and driving.
