Salfi Federico, Saporito Gennaro, Cesarano Simone, Guerra Federica, Silva Pamela, Di Giacomo Dina, Tozzi Elisabetta, Ferrara Michele, Colombo Bruno, Pistoia Francesca
Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2025 Jul 18;18:17562864251356066. doi: 10.1177/17562864251356066. eCollection 2025.
Pediatric headache disorders are a significant public health issue, affecting school performance, social participation, and quality of life.
Our aim was to explore the age- and gender-related changes in the characteristics and burden of headaches from childhood to adolescence, with a focus on diagnostic shifts, frequency, intensity, and quality-of-life.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey on five primary and secondary schools in the L'Aquila district, Italy.
Using the translated Italian version of the Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation questionnaire, we collected data on headache frequency, intensity, duration, associated symptoms, and impact. Diagnoses were algorithmically assigned through International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition criteria. Statistical analyses examined the effects of age, gender, and their interaction on clinical and quality-of-life outcomes.
In total, 431 students were included (mean age: 9.82 ± 2.28 years; range: 6-15; 52.9% female). Findings indicated that as children grow older, headaches become increasingly frequent, longer in duration, and more intensely experienced. The progression from primary to secondary school was accompanied by a transition in diagnosis, with undifferentiated headaches giving way to more specific categories, such as probable or definite migraine and, to a lesser extent, tension-type headache. Age-by-gender interactions revealed that older females experienced greater frequency and a more pronounced impact, while headache frequency affected quality of life with increasing age.
Findings highlight gender-specific developmental trends in headache, characterized by increased frequency, intensity, and diagnostic clarity from childhood to adolescence. The burden of headache, particularly among older students, underscores the need for early recognition and age-appropriate interventions.
儿童头痛障碍是一个重大的公共卫生问题，会影响学业表现、社会参与和生活质量。
我们的目的是探讨从儿童期到青少年期头痛的特征和负担在年龄和性别方面的变化，重点关注诊断转变、频率、强度和生活质量。
我们对意大利拉奎拉地区的五所中小学进行了一项横断面调查。
我们使用头痛归因限制、残疾、社会障碍和参与受损问卷的意大利语翻译版本，收集了有关头痛频率、强度、持续时间、相关症状和影响的数据。通过《国际头痛疾病分类》第三版标准以算法方式进行诊断。统计分析考察了年龄、性别及其相互作用对临床和生活质量结果的影响。
总共纳入了431名学生（平均年龄：9.82 ± 2.28岁；范围：6 - 15岁；女性占52.9%）。研究结果表明，随着儿童年龄增长，头痛变得越来越频繁、持续时间更长且体验更强烈。从小学到中学的过渡伴随着诊断的转变，未分化头痛逐渐被更具体的类型所取代，如可能或确诊的偏头痛，以及程度较轻的紧张型头痛。年龄与性别的相互作用表明，年龄较大的女性头痛频率更高且影响更明显，而头痛频率对生活质量的影响随着年龄增长而增加。
研究结果突出了头痛在性别方面的特定发展趋势，其特征是从儿童期到青少年期头痛频率增加、强度加大且诊断更加明确。头痛的负担，尤其是在年龄较大的学生中，凸显了早期识别和采取适合年龄的干预措施的必要性。
