Dr Chinwe Ude
Paediatrics

Childhood headaches: Should I be worried?

Published: 07/09/2023

Edited by: Conor Dunworth

Childhood headaches can result in severe physical discomfort and have significant emotional, psychological, and social implications if they go undiagnosed and untreated. In her latest online article, leading consultant paediatrician Dr Chinwe Ude offers her expert insight into this topic.

Are chronic childhood headaches something I should be worried about?

Many individuals express concern that these headaches may have an underlying sinister cause, such as brain tumours. While brain tumours constitute a small fraction of the underlying factors for chronic childhood headaches, it is crucial to address and investigate any such worries. This should be done under the care of a paediatrician specialising in managing childhood headaches. Such an expert will be capable of alleviating anxieties while promptly and appropriately investigating and managing the symptoms.

What steps should be taken if your child is suffering from chronic headaches?

In most instances, headaches do not stem from space-occupying brain lesions. Nevertheless, they can be quite intense, both in terms of pain and the degree to which they disrupt the child's daily life.

Generally, ensuring good-quality sleep and promoting a healthy lifestyle can assist in alleviating headaches in children. It may be beneficial to identify known triggers for these headaches and take steps to avoid them. Maintaining a headache diary can be useful in recognising these triggers.

What if lifestyle changes do not yield positive results?

Many families may encounter difficulties in adhering to recommended lifestyle adjustments. In certain cases, headache symptoms persist despite such changes. Indeed, some children may be grappling with undiagnosed sleep difficulties or disorders that contribute to their headaches.

Arranging for your child to be evaluated by a paediatrician experienced in managing headache symptoms is crucial. Such an expert will promptly and appropriately conduct investigations. They will also assist in pinpointing triggers, provide guidance on lifestyle modifications, and, when necessary, prescribe medications to alleviate symptoms.

If you would like to book a consultation with Dr Chinwe Ude you can do so today via her Top Doctors profile.

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By Dr Chinwe Ude

Paediatrics in Kent

Dr Chinwe Ude is a highly respected consultant paediatrician based in Chatham, Kent. She is renowned for her expertise in children’s seizures, chronic headache and sleep disorders and also specialises in gastrointestinal problems, allergies and intolerances and constipation and abdominal pain. Dr Ude has additional expertise in paediatric neurology, movement disorders and cerebral palsy. Dr Ude qualified in medicine at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, the country’s leading academ...

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By Dr Chinwe Ude
Paediatrics

Dr Chinwe Ude is a highly respected consultant paediatrician based in Chatham, Kent. She is renowned for her expertise in children’s seizures, chronic headache and sleep disorders and also specialises in gastrointestinal problems, allergies and intolerances and constipation and abdominal pain. Dr Ude has additional expertise in paediatric neurology, movement disorders and cerebral palsy.

Dr Ude qualified in medicine at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, the country’s leading academic institution, in 2003. After relocating to the UK, she pursued further specialist training, including an extended period of training in neurology at Cambridge University Hospital, Addenbrookes. She completed a postgraduate diploma in paediatric and child health at University College London in 2013. Dr Ude was appointed as a consultant paediatrician at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust in 2016, where she continues to run weekly clinics in general paediatric care, epilepsy and neurology. In addition, she is currently clinical lead of the Trust’s Paediatric Epilepsy Neurology Service and also holds a variety of supervisory responsibilities for children’s units, including the Paediatric Emergency Department and the Paediatric Assessment Unit. Dr Ude works in partnership with various highly esteemed agencies, including the Child Brain Injury Trust and Cerebra, to provide the best possible care for children and young people with epilepsy. She is renowned for her skill in connecting with young patients and is passionate about providing highly personalised care according to the needs of each individual. She sees private patients at the Spire Alexandra Hospital in Chatham, Kent.

In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Dr Ude holds a number of key positions and is a working group member for NHS England’s Children and Young People Transformation Programme for Epilepsy. She is also clinical lead for the South Thames Paediatric Network’s Epilepsy Operational Division Network and is a Medical Advisory Committee member at the Spire Alexandra Hospital. Dr Ude is a passionate proponent of children’s health and is proud to serve as a Health Advocate and Advisor for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, a group which provides specialist nurses who help to enrich the lives of children living with life-limiting medical conditions. She also volunteers as a befriender for Age UK Medway.

Dr Ude is also actively involved in education and is an honorary lecturer on Brighton University’s MSc paediatrics programme. She is also a member of The Howard Academy Trust, which promotes high educational standards for children. Dr Ude is a fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and is a member of the British Paediatric Neurology Association and the South Thames Paediatric Epilepsy Group.

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