Migraine Characteristics and Diagnosis

Clinical Features and Diagnosis

• The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and experts in Neurology note that migraine attacks in children under 18 years may last 2-72 hours, whereas in adults the typical duration is 4-72 hours 1, 2
• The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) provides specific diagnostic criteria for migraine with and without aura, requiring at least 5 attacks fulfilling the criteria for definitive diagnosis of migraine without aura and at least 2 attacks with specific aura characteristics for migraine with aura 1, 4
• Diagnosis of migraine in children relies primarily on medical history, with modified criteria compared to adults, and gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly prominent in pediatric migraine 3