Evaluation of headache associated with personal protective equipment during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new conditions for medical staff, forcing them to use personal protective equipment (PPE) for an extended duration of time. Headache is a commonly associated side effect of the use of such equipment among healthcare workers.

In this cross-sectional study, 243 frontline healthcare workers at four referral hospitals for COVID-19 were evaluated for the occurrence of headache following the use of PPE and its relationship with blood gas parameters was assessed.

The average age of participants was 36 ± 8 years. Of these, 75% were women. The prevalence of headache after the use of masks was 72.4%, with the N95 mask being the most commonly reported cause of headache (41%). Among patients, 25.1% developed external pressure, 22.2% migraine, and 15.2% tension-type headaches. Headache was more common in the female gender. Apart from gender, only increased heart rate was significantly associated with headache due to mask use (p = .03 and .00, respectively). The mean heart rate was 97.7 ± 13.68 in participants with headache compared to 65.8 ± 35.63 in those without headache. No significant relationship was found between headache and venous blood gas parameters, including oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure.

Headache due to PPE is common and can decrease the efficiency of hospital staff performance. Hence, it is necessary to consider this issue among health center personnel and provide modalities to reduce the risk of headache.