In an article titled “Migraine and migraine subtypes in preadolescent children Association with school performance,” appearing in Neurology in 2012 by Marco A. Arruda and Marcelo E. Bigal, a discussion is made that children with migraine may have below average school performance than kids who do not have headaches.
The study looked at 5,671 children ages 5 to 12 from Brazil and found that those with migraine were 30% more likely to have below average school performance than those children with no headaches. The researchers collected information from the student’s teachers on their performance and also completed a questionnaire screening for emotional and behavioral problems. Further, the researchers interviewed parents of the students from medical history and other potential useful information.
Of the 5,671 children around 0.6% had chronic migraine occurring 15 or more days per month and 9% had episodic migraine.
The researchers found that the link between migraine and poor performance in school was even stronger for children with migraines that were more severe, lasted longer, or for children with chronic migraine.
The researchers believe that for those children having headaches with migraine features this is a serious problem and needs to be taken seriously. Further, children need to receive medical treatment and attention.
I believe that this study is accurate although it would be interesting to see a similar study of teenagers. For those who suffer from migraines you may want to see some of my previously posts such as Migraines – Cause and Effect and Daily Preventative Therapies Can Reduce Migraine.