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Journal of Pediatric Neurology 2011; 09(01): 023-027
DOI: 10.3233/JPN-2010-0430
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart – New York

Chvostek's sign in childhood headache

Khalid Ibrahim
a   Department of Pediatric Neurology, The Royal London Hospitals, London, UK
,
George Russell
b   Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
,
Denise Cahill
c   Child & Family Psychotherapy, Queen's University Hospital, London, UK
,
Mas Ahmed
d   Department of Pediatrics, Queen's University Hospital, London, UK
› Author Affiliations
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Further Information

Publication History

10 October 2009

10 February 2010

Publication Date:
30 July 2015 (online)

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Abstract

Chvostek's sign (CS) was examined in 590 consecutive children with headache. A positive CS was found in 186/590 (31.5%) patients (111 mild; 75 marked). Forty-two percent of patients with migraine with aura, 5% migraine without aura and 0.85% patients with non-migraine headaches had a markedly positive CS. Trousseau's sign and biochemical investigations were negative. Within each headache diagnostic group, there were no significant differences in demographic data, headache characteristics or psychosocial issues between patients with negative or positive (mild or marked) CS. Our findings provide further evidence that the pathophysiology of migraine and specially migraine with aura may differ from that of other headaches.

Keywords

Headache - migraine - Chvostek's sign - child - pathophysiology