book review
by Jack Gladstein, MD, Guest Reviewer
Childhood Headache, 2nd Edition
Edited by Ishaq Abu-Arafeh
It is very difficult to write a textbook that covers the
topic of pediatric headache. A book to be used by
parents as a resource will differ than one for primary
care physicians. A book for general headache specialists will be different than one for specialists in the
field of pediatric headache. Likewise, psychologists,
therapists, or psychiatrists have their own needs when
finding a book that helps with their ability to manage
childhood headache sufferers. I am happy to report
that Childhood Headache, 2nd Edition, can satisfy all of
these readers. It combines a gentle reading style with
various layers of complexity.
The first chapter is a “must read” in order to set the
stage. Professor Abu-Arafeh reviews the history of
what we know about childhood headache. Previous
chapters of headache history relate to adults only, with
limited mention of children. From ancient practices
to this past century’s attempts of inclusion of children
in classification outlines, the author establishes the
format for the rest of the book, which helps the reader
see where we are now. I would have liked to see a brief
glimpse of Goadsby’s excellent review of physiology
in this chapter to show how far we have come in the
management of childhood headache.
8
HeadWise™
|
Volume 3, Issue 3 • 2013
In Chapter 2, Professor Goadsby reviews our current
understanding of pathophysiology. Although he
acknowledges that “kids have headaches too,” he posits
that the physiology of youngsters and adults, at least
early in the process, should be similar. He stresses that
as the brain matures, so do the physiologic changes
associated with migraine. This chapter is more suited
to the specialist, although it will also be of interest for
the generalist to know how bench research will lead to
a better understanding of patient needs.
The third chapter on genetics is up-to-date,
although it relates more to epidemiologic aspects of
childhood headache than pharmacologic implications
of therapy. I am sure that future editions will include
an updated section regarding this burgeoning field of
headache medicine.
The chapter describing classification is difficult
and indicated that childhood headache is not really
covered well by current ICHD-II models. The author
notes that clinical decision making still trumps classification outlines, but research study inclusion criteria
must be based upon uniform accepted standards.
The epidemiology chapter is comprehensive and
thorough. Parents educat