10 Years Old With Headache And Nausea. All Report Came Normal. Whats The Problem?

Posted on Thu, 31 Jan 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 Answered on

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : My 10 year old son gets headaches (frontal) off and on, worsening over the past 2 weeks occasionally associated with nausea. Today he developed shortness of breath and chest tightness and I took him to the ER. He had eaten breakfast, his glucose was 108, everything else was normal (CBC, CMPL, CXR, Head CT). I am following up with his pediatrician tomorrow. What else should I be doing? What could be possible causes of these symptoms?

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (52 minutes later)

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query.

The most likely cause of headache associated with nausea in your son could be childhood migraine, which is quite common in children.

A normal head CT excludes any serious brain disease.

Since these headaches are frequent, he may benefit from preventive medications (to prevent recurrent headaches). Medicines in this category include divalproex, flunarizine, Topiramate, etc.

The recent breathing difficulty and chest tightness are unrelated and most likely due to lower respiratory tract viral infection.

Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sudhir Kumar (2 hours later)

Is there anything we can do to help reduce the number of migraines with diet or herbal remedies?

Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (4 hours later)

Thank you for getting back.

Regarding diet, he should eat food on time and avoid fasting.

Certain foods such as chinese food, cakes, chocolates, cheese, etc may trigger a migraine attack. So, he should be cautious with them.

There are no proven herbal remedies for migraine.

Best wishes,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar