Headaches in adolescents increased during COVID-19 pandemic

Prolonged exposure time to computer screens, a lack of suitable conditions for online learning from home, school exams and anxieties about COVID-19 were all found to be risk factors for the worsening of headache symptoms or triggering new onset headaches.

A new multicentre study analysed 851 adolescents aged between 10 and 18, with 89% of children reporting headaches over the study period. Among these children, 10% reported new onset headaches over the pandemic home-schooling period. 27% of children said their headaches had worsened, 61% said their headaches had remained stable and 3% said their headaches had improved.

The ones who reported worsened or new onset headaches suffered from headaches an average of 8-9 times per month.

The study found that headaches had a big impact on mental health and school achievements. Depression and anxiety scores, including anxiety about catching COVID-19, were significantly higher in the worsened and new onset headache groups. These respondents also acknowledged that they had made less effort with their schoolwork and their academic achievements had fallen.Exams, living in a city, weight gain and depression were also linked to more frequent headache occurrences within the study.

Although earlier studies reported that young people were having fewer headaches due to the closure of schools in the early weeks and months of COVID-19, this longer-term study has found the stresses and pressures of the pandemic eventually took their toll.

Reference: The Burden of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic on Headaches in Adolescents: Other Side of the Coin, presented at the EAN Congress 2022.