Abdominal migraines can affect anyone but are much more common in younger children than teens or adults.
Some studies suggest up to 9% of school-aged children experience them.
Abdominal migraines are treated in much the same way asmigraine headaches.
Verywell / Dennis Madamba
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication and prescription drugs can help relieve symptoms.
Attacks can also be prevented with prescription medications and by avoiding triggers such as stress and certain foods.
Verywell / Dennis Madamba
Are Abdominal Migraines Serious?
Abdominal migraines are not especially serious but can be debilitating if the pain is severe or persistent.
With migraine headaches, this can cause throbbing pain along one side of the head.
With an abdominal migraine, the pain is centered around theumbilicus(navel).
Risk Factors
The primary risk factor for abdominal migraine is younger age.
Children age 3 to 10 are most commonly affected.
Most will have a family history of migraines.
Females are more frequently affected than males and abdominal migraines in adults are considered rare.
Common triggers for abdominal migraine include:
Can You Outgrow Abdominal Migraines?
On occasion, abdominal migraines can persist into adulthood or transition into traditional migraine headaches.
The symptoms tend to develop abruptly and can last between two and 72 hours.
The pain is usually described as dull, but can sometimes be sharp or throbbing.
Over time, you may see a pattern emerging that can help pinpoint the exact triggers.
It is also important to find ways to relieve stress that even younger children experience.
Medications
Medications may be used to treat or manage abdominal migraine symptoms.
Nasal sumatriptan, a prescription medication, may also be effective in treating acute abdominal migraines.
It is frequently spotted early because children with abdominal migraines often have parents or other family members with migraines.
It is mostly seen in children.
Attacks can last from two to 72 hours, and between attacks, a person has no symptoms.
The treatment involves lifestyle changes, over-the-counter pain medications, and daily drugs that can help prevent attacks.
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American Migraine Foundation.Abdominal migraine.
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2019;7:e8134.
