Migraine-Related Symptoms in Childhood

Periodic disorders of childhood often represent precursors of migraine. As we advance our knowledge of migraine and its complicated phenotypic presentation in childhood, we have noted the similarities in overlapping symptoms of children presenting with childhood periodic syndromes. There is often a positive family history of migraine in children that present with periodic syndromes. There is a known transformation of periodic syndromes from childhood into adult migraine with and without aura phenotype. There has been an evolution of our understanding of what was initially referred to as periodic symptoms of childhood and more recently been called childhood periodic syndromes and is now evolving into the terminology of episodic symptoms that are associated with migraine. International classification of headache disorders has been instrumental in the evolution of the classification of headache and children adults. The most recent classification utilizes and replaces the periodic symptom terminology with episodic symptoms that will no longer be limited to just childhood. This article will address the evolution of our understanding of the diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology and management of the episodic syndromes that may be associated with migraine.