Long COVID and Headache

By: Brooklyn A. Bradley, BS; Medically edited by Dr. Deena E. Kuruvilla, MD

According to the CDC, post-COVID conditions, also known as Long COVID, are a “wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems that people experience after being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19” [1]. A person’s experience of COVID-19 varies from individual to individual. Some patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may feel improvement in their symptoms a few days to a few weeks after the initial infection. As a result, the symptoms of post-COVID conditions usually arise at least four weeks following the COVID-19 infection [1]. COVID-19 can cause long-term effects in some patients, often seen in the form of health problems lasting for months [2]. There may be certain risk factors linked to post-COVID syndrome; however, this information is still being researched. Some of these conditions may include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity [2]. This long COVID can even happen in patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms. 

SARS-CoV-2 is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and this virus can attack the human body in a variety of ways. For example, some patients experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19 may have conditions related to their lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, liver, etc [2]. Studies have shown that symptoms vary from patient to patient, including the duration/frequency of these symptoms [3]. We do know that similar post-viral syndromes have been observed in prior strains of human coronavirus [3]. While the circumstances of Long COVID are still being defined, it is important that research continues to be conducted on this condition.

Patients experiencing COVID-19 have reported a headache that develops in accordance with their other COVID-19 symptoms. [4]. Headache is a disabling symptom of long COVID-19, and it often appears alongside other conditions in patients experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19. The classification of long COVID headache may vary depending on the patient’s current symptoms, and the specific duration or frequency [4]. The headache itself may appear as an intermittent or chronic daily headache, and may be difficult to treat. In a meta-analysis of literature that discussed headache as an acute and post-COVID-19 symptom in COVID-19 survivors, the researchers reported that the prevalence of post-COVID headache was higher in patients that were managed in an outpatient setting during the acute phase [5]. In a 2021 study looking at the incidence and occurrence of long-COVID features, women and younger patients experiencing long COVID were more likely to have headaches than women [6]. The most common type of headache after COVID-19 is migraine. In addition, patients with more severe COVID-19 illness were more likely to have cognitive difficulties and other features overall, but less likely to have headache [6]. It is possible that post-COVID headache has a different pathway than the other long COVID features seen in patients; thus, this warrants future research. 

Some of the current recommendations for long COVID headache include over-the-counter pain relievers (advil or tylenol), hydration, warm/cold compresses, and prescription medications (as recommended by a headache specialist) [7]. There are various causes of headache, which is why it is important to talk to a headache specialist about your symptoms. 

Headaches are a common symptom of COVID-19, and there is evidence that 1 out of 4 people with COVID-19 experience headache [7]. Overall, the long-term effects of COVID-19 are under active investigation, with hopes of determining why these problems happen. Not only do the long term effects of COVID-19 impact patients, they are also challenging physicians and care management. 

 

References:

  1. CDC (2022) Post-COVID Conditions. In: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html. Accessed 27 Sep 2022
  2. (2022) Long COVID: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-long-haulers-long-term-effects-of-covid19. Accessed 27 Sep 2022
  3. Yong SJ (2021) Long COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome: putative pathophysiology, risk factors, and treatments. Infect Dis (Lond) 53:737–754. https://doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2021.1924397
  4. Tana C, Bentivegna E, Cho S-J, et al (2022) Long COVID headache. J Headache Pain 23:93. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-022-01450-8
  5. Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Navarro-Santana M, Gómez-Mayordomo V, et al (2021) Headache as an acute and post-COVID-19 symptom in COVID-19 survivors: A meta-analysis of the current literature. Eur J Neurol 28:3820–3825. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.15040
  6. Taquet M, Dercon Q, Luciano S, et al (2021) Incidence, co-occurrence, and evolution of long-COVID features: A 6-month retrospective cohort study of 273,618 survivors of COVID-19. PLoS Med 18:e1003773. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003773
  7. Alker A (2022) COVID-19 Can Cause Painful Headaches — Here’s How to Cope. In: GoodRX Health. https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/covid-19/covid-headache-symptoms-treatment
Published On: October 6th, 2022