COVID-19 lockdown attack on headache emergency admissions: a multidisciplinary retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The initial COVID-19 lockdown in Italy correlated with decreased emergency department (ED) visits for non-SARS-COV-2 acute and chronic conditions.
• This study investigates the specific impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on headache-related emergency department attendances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on patients presenting with headaches to the emergency department.
• To compare headache attendance data during the lockdown with pre-lockdown periods and previous years.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of emergency department attendances for headache.
• Comparison of data from the COVID-19 lockdown period (March-May 2020) with pre-lockdown (January-February 2020) and historical data (first 5 months of 2019).

Main Results:

• Total ED attendances decreased by 29% in early 2020 compared to 2019, with headache-related visits dropping by 49%.
• A slight reduction in ED access for female patients was observed during the lockdown (p=0.03).
• The prevalence of repeat visitors, diagnostic approaches, and acute treatments for headache remained stable, as did the proportions of unspecified, secondary, and primary headaches.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in emergency department attendances for headaches.
• Despite reduced visits, the management, diagnostic categories, and patient profiles (e.g., repeat visitors) for headaches did not significantly change during the lockdown.