KARACHI: Migraine is often inherited in families. The chances of transmission to children are around50percentifone parenthas migraine. The probability increases to 75pc if both parents suffer from the illness, shared an expert at a seminar, while explaining the reasons behind the most common form of headache.

The programme was organised in connection with the international month of migraine by Professional Development Centre of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in collaboration with the Pakistan Society of Neurology.

Sharing global data on the prevalence of migraine, Dr Muhammad Ismail Khalid Yousuf, Assistant Professor at the Virginia TechUniversity, who spolce via a video link from the US, said that one out of every seven adults worldwide and one out of every 10 children suffered from migraine that, according to a study, had global prevalence of 14pc.

`Unfortunately, Pakistan`s adult numbers are higher than average. A 2017 local study estimated that the prevalence of migraine and tension headaches in a year in Pakistan is 22.5pc and 44.6pc, respectively,` he said.

Talking about children, Dr Yousuf said that headaches in children and adolescents was the third most common cause of school absenteeism, which could cause problems in quality of life, recreational activities, personal life and studies.

`Children who experience headaches at an early age are more likely to develop mental health problems when they grow up. Recurrentheadaches that last for one or more days usually occur in 30pc of children whereas the prevalence of migraine-related syndromes in children is five percent.

He further said that dysfunctional family relations might influence the ability of children to cope with recurrent pain.

To control migraines, the expert suggested a reduction in screen time, while referring to the American Academy of Paediatrics` guidelines according to which children under 2 years of age should have no screen time and children between 2 to 5 years of age should not be shown more than one hour a day.

`Hold the phone a foot away. Sit at least two feet away from the computer and 10 feet away from the TV.

The sitting posture while using smartphones or computers can also cause this pain,` he concluded.