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Patients with a history of migraine also see an increase in migraine attacks after having COVID. Studies show that people with migraine are more prone to develop post-COVID headache when compared to those without a history of migraine. How does post-COVID headache affect those with migraine? Chiang says people suffering from post-COVID syndrome can experience a lot of other symptoms in addition to headaches, including: Individuals who experience post-COVID syndrome are often referred to as COVID “long-haulers.” Dr. These are long-term symptoms that can continue even after testing negative for COVID-19. Some people experience what doctors call post-COVID syndrome, or less formally long COVID. However, several weeks, or even several months later, they can have this headache that can be quite debilitating and persistent.” Post-COVID Syndrome “So maybe during the acute phase, patients can have fever, shortness of breath and those types of respiratory symptoms. “Studies have reported that sometimes headache can occur, not during the acute phase, but there can be a delayed onset of headache as well,” says Dr. She says most people have a milder, dull headache after their COVID infection. This can come with sensitivity to light or noise and worsen with other COVID symptoms like fever and respiratory symptoms. Chiang says that generally, people describe a more severe headache during an active COVID infection. Migraine-like head pain is the most common description of a headache caused by COVID-19. “It can certainly be a very debilitating symptom for our patients.” Headache During and After COVID-19 Infection
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“In about 8% of patients, headache can persist even six months after COVID-19 infection,” she says. However, some people may continue to feel the effects for even longer. Most people see their headache clear up after two months, and even fewer experience symptoms after three months. Chiang says that about 47% of patients have gone on to develop a headache following a COVID infection. Other patients experience a “debilitating, worst headache of their life, and it’s…a daily persistent headache that lasts for a long time.” Timeline of Post-COVID Headacheĭr. “For some patients, they experience a headache after COVID infection that is described as a mild, dull headache that goes away,” she says. Chiang says there are many ways people experience and describe post-COVID headache. Alongside this pain, some people have sensitivity to light and noise and sometimes to touch or smell.ĭr. “The headache can present like a migraine attack.” People with post-COVID headache typically experience a throbbing pain on one side of their head. “Most of the time, post-COVID headaches are described as migraine-like headaches,” says Dr. Chia-Chun Chiang, Senior Associate Consultant and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to learn more about the symptoms, treatments and research on post-COVID headache. Though anyone can develop post-COVID headache, people with migraine are more likely to see an increase in the frequency and intensity of their migraine attacks. Symptoms can last for weeks or even months after testing negative for the virus. Post-COVID headache is a persistent headache that develops after having COVID-19. Headache is a common feature during acute illness, and it is not surprising since headache often accompanies many viral illnesses. However, a headache that doesn’t go away after having COVID-19 could be a sign that you’re fighting post-COVID headache.Īlthough it seems like the pandemic has been with us forever, in medical terms, it is too soon to make any predictions about the characteristics and treatment of the headache that COVID-19 causes with much certainty. With the alpha, delta and omicron variants, headache has been a common symptom of SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19). Learn about post-COVID headache symptoms, treatments and how it affects those living with migraine.