Post-COVID Headache: A Literature Review

Chhabra, Nikita; Grill, Marie F.; Singh, Rashmi B. Halker

doi:10.1007/s11916-022-01086-y

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…The other point related to the physical condition that explains the slowing in reaction times was the presence of a headache. Headaches and migraines are a well-known consequence of COVID-19 and one of the main symptoms of long-COVID [66]. Most participants in our study reported headaches, ranging in severity from mild to severe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Relationship between Reaction Times and Post-COVID-19 Symptoms Assessed by a Web-Based Visual Detection Task

et al. 2023

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Long-COVID is a clinical condition in which patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 usually report a wide range of physical and cognitive symptoms from 3 to 6 months after the infection recovery. The aim of the current study was to assess the link between self-reported long-COVID symptoms and reaction times (RTs) in a self-administered Visual Detection Task (VDT) in order to identify the predictor symptoms of the slowing in reaction times to determine attention impairment. In total, 362 participants (age (mean ± S.D.: 38.56 ± 13.14); sex (female–male: 73.76–26.24%)) responded to a web-based self-report questionnaire consisting of four sections: demographics, disease-related characteristics, and medical history questions. The final section consisted of a 23 item 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire related to long-term COVID-19 symptoms. After completing the questionnaire, subjects performed a VDT on a tablet screen to assess reaction times (RTs). An exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) was performed on the 23 long-COVID symptom questions, identifying 4 factors (cognition, behavior, physical condition, presence of anosmia and/or ageusia). The most important predictors of RTs were cognition and physical factors. By dissecting the cognitive and physical factors, learning, visual impairment, and headache were the top predictors of subjects’ performance in the VDT. Long-COVID subjects showed higher RTs in the VDT after a considerable time post-disease, suggesting the presence of an attention deficit disorder. Attention impairment due to COVID-19 can be due to the presence of headaches, visual impairments, and the presence of cognitive problems related to the difficulty in learning new activities. The link between the slowing of reaction times and physical and cognitive symptoms post-COVID-19 suggests that attention deficit disorder is caused by a complex interaction between physical and cognitive symptoms. In addition, the study provides evidence that RTs in a VDT represent a reliable measure to detect the presence of long-COVID neurological sequelae.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Relationship between Reaction Times and Post-COVID-19 Symptoms Assessed by a Web-Based Visual Detection Task

et al. 2023

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“…On the other hand, post-viral cephalea is attributed to the direct invasion of the virus into the central nervous system through retrograde axonal transport, primarily via the olfactory nerve. This type of headache manifests in various phenotypes, and treatment should be tailored to each specific presentation [ 129 ].…”

Section: Neurological Manifestations and Complicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19: Unveiling the Neuropsychiatric Maze—From Acute to Long-Term Manifestations

Ariza,

Castellar-Visbal,

Marquina

et al. 2024

Biomedicines

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread rapidly despite implementing strategies to reduce its transmission. The disease caused by this virus has been associated with a diverse range of symptoms, including common neurological manifestations such as dysgeusia, anosmia, and myalgias. Additionally, numerous cases of severe neurological complications associated with this disease have been reported, including encephalitis, stroke, seizures, and Guillain–Barré syndrome, among others. Given the high prevalence of neurological manifestations in this disease, the objective of this review is to analyze the mechanisms by which this virus can affect the nervous system, from its direct invasion to aberrant activation of the immune system and other mechanisms involved in the symptoms, including neuropsychiatric manifestations, to gain a better understanding of the disease and thus facilitate the search for effective therapeutic strategies.

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“…Similarly, there are no controlled clinical trials specifically examining the efficacy of treatments for post‐COVID headaches. It is currently recommended to identify the pain pattern of headache presented by the patient (migraine vs. tension‐type headache phenotype) and to treat it according to this pattern (Chhabra et al, 2022; Sampaio Rocha‐Filho, 2002). Some preventive drugs used for other chronic headaches might be effective, but so far there are few publications on this topic.…”

Section: Current Management Of Long‐covidmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precision management of post‐COVID pain: An evidence and clinical‐based approach

Fernández‐de‐las‐Peñas

Nijs

Giordano

et al. 2023

European Journal of Pain

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BackgroundPain after a SARS‐CoV‐2 acute infection (post‐COVID pain) is becoming a new healthcare emergency but remains underestimated and most likely undertreated due to a lack of recognition of the phenomenon and knowledge of the underlying pain mechanisms. Evidence supporting any particular treatment approach for the management of post‐COVID pain is lacking. Large variability in the patient response to any standard pain treatments is clinically observed, which has led to calls for a personalized, tailored approach to treating patients with chronic post‐COVID pain (i.e. ‘precision pain medicine’). Applying the global concerted action towards precision medicine to post‐COVID pain could help guide clinical decision‐making and aid in more effective treatments.MethodsThe current position paper discusses factors to be considered by clinicians for managing post‐COVID pain ranging from identification of the pain phenotype to genetic consideration.ResultsThe ability of clinicians to phenotype post‐COVID pain into nociceptive, neuropathic, nociplastic or mixed type is suggested as the first step to better planification of a treatment programme. Further, the consideration of other factors, such as gender, comorbidities, treatments received at the acute phase of infection for onset‐associated COVID‐19 symptoms, factors during hospitalization or the presence of emotional disturbances should be implemented into a treatment programme.ConclusionsAccordingly, considering these factors, management of post‐COVID pain should include multimodal pharmacological and non‐pharmacological modalities targeting emotional/cognitive aspects (i.e. psychological and/or coping strategies), central sensitization‐associated mechanisms (i.e. pain neuroscience education), exercise programmes as well as lifestyle interventions (e.g. nutritional support and sleep management).SignificanceThis position paper presents an evidence‐based clinical reasoning approach for precision management of post‐COVID pain.

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Post-COVID Headache: A Literature Review

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

Relationship between Reaction Times and Post-COVID-19 Symptoms Assessed by a Web-Based Visual Detection Task

Relationship between Reaction Times and Post-COVID-19 Symptoms Assessed by a Web-Based Visual Detection Task

COVID-19: Unveiling the Neuropsychiatric Maze—From Acute to Long-Term Manifestations

Precision management of post‐COVID pain: An evidence and clinical‐based approach

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