Headache in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and After Kidney Transplantation: A Comparative Study

Aim This study compared prevalence and characteristics of headaches between pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease and pediatric patients with transplanted kidneys and identify factors associated with headaches in the entire cohort. Methods We interviewed 87 children and adolescents with either chronic kidney disease or transplanted kidney, regarding the prevalence of headaches and their characteristics. We reviewed hospital charts for medical history and blood test. Results Twenty-two patients (25.3%) reported experiencing headaches, of them 15 (68%) had migraine. The prevalence was greater among those with chronic kidney disease than among those after kidney transplant: 36.6% vs 15.2%, P = .03. Headache, mostly migraine, was associated with lower glomerular filtration and higher phosphate level. Conclusions In a pediatric population, headaches were less prevalent among patients after kidney transplantation than among patients with chronic kidney disease. The lower headache rate after kidney transplantation may be related to improvement in homeostasis and electrolyte balance.