Headache in children with brain tumors.

To study the criteria for early differential diagnosis between migraine and headache due to brain tumors, we analyzed the symptoms and signs of two groups of children. The first group consisted of 67 children in whom a brain tumor had been diagnosed. The second group was composed of 600 children who had been diagnosed as migraine cases. Among the features of headache that are considered to be alarming symptoms of a brain tumor, the following were found to indicate a brain tumor with the greatest sensitivity: nocturnal headache or headache present on arising, both associated with vomiting, and increased frequency of headache. Nocturnal headache or headache present on arising, associated with vomiting, and/or progressive neurological symptoms or signs occurred in 65 of 67 children with brain tumor within 2 months of the onset of their headaches and in all 67 within 6 months.