Geschlechterunterschiede bei Migräne im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Migraine is a common neurological disorder that affects about 10% of children and adolescents and is associated with reduced school performance and participation in everyday life. The highest incidence of migraine occurs between 10–14 years. With the onset of puberty, girls are increasingly more likely to be affected. Generally, girls in all age groups show a higher prevalence and incidence of migraine, in contrast to tension-type headaches, where gender differences are less pronounced. Girls experience higher levels of migraine-related impairment than boys and are more likely to have comorbid mental health conditions. School-related stress and performance pressure are described primarily by girls as migraine triggers. Gender differences in epidemiology and clinical features have been widely studied in adulthood. Nevertheless, only a few studies deal with gender-specific treatment in childhood and adolescence. In addition to acute pain treatment while avoiding medication overuse, an individualized and multimodal headache therapy is the most important treatment component for recurrent headaches in childhood. Interdisciplinary group therapies enable individualized care for gender-specific circumstances.