AHS 2022 | The current state of pediatric headache research

Serena Orr, MD, MS, FAHS, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, discusses the current state of pediatric headache research. Most research on headache has been conducted on the adult population and extrapolated to the pediatric setting – taking a more investigatory led approach as opposed to engaging with the patients and family. Greater engagement would allow for a more thorough understanding of the priorities of research from a patient-centered perspective. Children and adolescents cannot be generalized in the same way as the adult population with headache disorders; from differential genetic loading associated with early-onset to social and biological differences, approaches to pediatric headache research must be different to adults. Dr Orr further discusses future strategies to improve pediatric headache research – addressing greater engagement and collaboration in recruitment for clinical trials and doing more basic science and social work to further understand how headache disorders differ amongst the pediatric population compared to adults. Concerning trial enrolment, future studies should equally represent sex and ethnic populations, reducing the exclusion criteria for a greater clinical representation of children in headache research. This interview took place during the 2022 American Headache Society (AHS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver, CO.