Headache associated with COVID-19: Frequency, characteristics and association with anosmia and ageusia.
Cephalalgia
; 40(13): 1443-1451, 2020 11.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1088418
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To assess the frequency and characteristics of headache in patients with COVID-19 and whether there is an association between headache and anosmia and ageusia.METHODS:
This was a cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique, were assessed by neurologists.RESULTS:
Seventy-three patients were included in the study, 63% were male; the median age was 58 years (IQR 47-66). Forty-seven patients (64.4%) reported headaches, which had most frequently begun on the first day of symptoms, were bilateral (94%), presenting severe intensity (53%) and a migraine phenotype (51%). Twelve patients (16.4%) presented with headache triggered by coughing. Eleven (15%) patients reported a continuous headache. Twenty-eight patients (38.4%) presented with anosmia and 29 (39.7%) with ageusia. Patients who reported hyposmia/anosmia and/or hypogeusia/ageusia experienced headache more frequently than those without these symptoms (OR 5.39; 95% CI1.66-17.45; logistic regression). Patients with anosmia and ageusia presented headache associated with phonophobia more often compared to those with headache without these complaints (Chi-square test; p < 0.05). Headache associated with COVID-19 presented a migraine phenotype more frequently in those experiencing previous migraine (p < 0.05).CONCLUSION:
Headaches associated with COVID-19 are frequent, are generally severe, diffuse, present a migraine phenotype and are associated with anosmia and ageusia.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Ageusia
/
Headache
/
Olfaction Disorders
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Cephalalgia
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
0333102420966770
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS