Al-Beltagi M. Pediatric migraine: Neurodevelopmental mechanisms, clinical phenotypes, and modern therapeutics. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; 15(2): 119843 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.119843]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, No. 1 Hassan Radwan Street, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt. mbelrem@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Pediatrics
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jun 9, 2026 (publication date) through May 19, 2026
Times Cited of This Article
Times Cited (0)
Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics
ISSN
2219-2808
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Al-Beltagi M. Pediatric migraine: Neurodevelopmental mechanisms, clinical phenotypes, and modern therapeutics. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; 15(2): 119843 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.119843]
World J Clin Pediatr. Jun 9, 2026; 15(2): 119843 Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.119843
Pediatric migraine: Neurodevelopmental mechanisms, clinical phenotypes, and modern therapeutics
Mohammed Al-Beltagi
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatric, University Hospital, Arabian Gulf University, Manama 26671, Manama, Bahrain
Author contributions: Al-Beltagi M was responsible for conceptualizing and designing the review, conducting the extensive literature search and data acquisition, performing the analysis and interpretation of the integrated biological models, drafting the manuscript, critically revising the work for intellectual content, designing the clinical algorithms and tables, and providing final approval for the version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Mohammed Al-Beltagi, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, No. 1 Hassan Radwan Street, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt. mbelrem@hotmail.com
Received: February 7, 2026 Revised: February 10, 2026 Accepted: February 27, 2026 Published online: June 9, 2026 Processing time: 95 Days and 13.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Pediatric migraine is a common yet underrecognized neurodevelopmental disorder with age-specific clinical phenotypes, mechanisms, and treatment responses. Children are not “small adults”; migraine expression evolves with brain maturation, hormonal changes, and sensory processing, necessitating pediatric-specific diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Early recognition of migraine equivalents, timely access to acute treatment, and avoidance of medication overuse are essential to prevent chronification. While traditional preventives offer limited efficacy, emerging mechanism-based therapies and neuromodulation devices are reshaping care. A multimodal, individualized approach integrating pharmacologic, behavioral, and educational interventions is critical to improving long-term outcomes.
