COVID-19 related headache and its clinical characteristics

Objectives: Headache is one of the most common neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients. This study examined the prevalence of headache and its clinical properties in patients with COVID-19. Methods:This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia patients from a neurology inpatient ward. Data for COVID-19-positive patients aged between 17 and 88 years were analyzed, based on the results of real-time polymerase chain reaction (rPCR) for SARS COV-2. Headache prevalence and characteristics and routine laboratory examinations were investigated. Results: The study analyzed 209 consecutive COVID-19 patients. Of these, 142 (67.9%) patients suffered headaches during COVID-19 infection and 107/209 (51.2%)patients reported a new type of headache. Of the209 patients, 101 (48.3%) also described decreases in smell and taste during the headache. The most common headache location was fronto-orbital, in 52/142 (40.6%) patients. Most patients had a bilateral headache (90.8%). Conclusion: As our knowledge of COVID-19 accumulates, we find that COVID-19 headache is not a random symptom. A new or different kind of throbbing headache that is bilateral and fronto-orbital might be related to COVID-19 disease.