Children and headaches: Research helping to ease pain.

Children and headaches: Research helping to ease pain

Child neurologist Sharoon Qaiser, MD, goes beyond the typical history and physical exam for his young patients. The director of UK HealthCare’s Children and Young Adult Headache & Research Program asks patients to draw pictures that reflect their headaches and pain.

What may seem like an unorthodox approach is beginning to help speed referrals and, ultimately diagnosis and care, for pediatric migraine sufferers.

“Migraines are the second most common cause for missed school days,” Dr. Qaiser said. “The average delay in diagnosis in children with migraines is five years. For children in rural areas who may not have access to a specialist, that delay can be even longer. We must make care more accessible.”

Dr. Qaiser is working with biomedical engineers at UK on his promising drawing initiative that uses artificial intelligence bolstered by machine learning, along with an app he has developed to help identify which patients should be referred for further diagnosis and treatment.

The bulk of Dr. Qaiser’s other research includes numerous sponsored trials on new headache medications, particularly calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway inhibitors and ditans, which have been used in adult patients with great success. While occasionally used for specific pediatric patients, the data proving safety and efficacy in children is still being collected.

At UK, Dr. Qaiser also developed the region’s first pediatric headache database, which will provide valuable information that may impact the future of care for young headache sufferers.

“We have a very dedicated research program with a culture of support and collegiality,” he said. “We are making a difference for the children in Kentucky.”