Headache severity in patients with post COVID-19 condition: a case-control study

Post COVID-19 conditions (PCC) present with a wide range of symptoms. Headache is one of the most frequently reported neurological symptoms by patients with PCC. We aimed to assess the prevalence of headache in patients with PCC who attended the Post-COVID^LMU outpatient department at LMU University Hospital in Munich. We hypothesized that headaches occur more frequently in patients with PCC than in the control group. Patients answered a questionnaire containing sociodemographic characteristics, their current symptoms, and prior psychiatric and somatic diagnoses, the WHO Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF), 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). 188 PCC patients were included in this study and compared to a control group of patients with a history of COVID-19 or a different infectious disease - but no consecutive post-infectious condition (n_c=27). 115 (61%) of our PCC patients were female. The median age was 41 years. 60 (32%, p = 0.001) had a pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. PCC was associated with worse outcomes in all four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (p < 0.001), high levels of fatigue (FSS; p < 0.001), and a higher likeliness for symptoms of depression (PHQ-9; p < 0.001). We were able to confirm that psychiatric disorders are more frequently associated with headaches in PCC patients. Headache should be assessed and treated in the context of PCC not only by neurologists but by multi-professional teams and regarding all PCC symptoms.