Toward a better understanding of persistent headache after mild COVID-19: Three migraine-like yet distinct scenarios

Edoardo Caronna; Alicia Alpuente; Marta Torres-Ferrus; Patricia Pozo-Rosich

doi:10.1111/head.14197

Toward a better understanding of persistent headache after mild COVID-19: Three migraine-like yet distinct scenarios

Headache. 2021 Sep;61(8):1277-1280. doi: 10.1111/head.14197. Epub 2021 Aug 7.

Authors

Edoardo Caronna^{1

2}, Alicia Alpuente^{1

2}, Marta Torres-Ferrus^{1

2}, Patricia Pozo-Rosich^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Headache Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
² Headache and Neurological Pain Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Abstract

One year after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), referrals for persistent headache, often defined as "post-COVID headache," have become increasingly common in outpatient headache clinics. However, it is important to take into consideration that this term may include a spectrum of clinically different headache types. We describe three cases of migraine-like headaches in individuals with a history of mild COVID-19 infection to demonstrate some of the different phenotypes of persistent headaches seen. These cases highlight the importance of a careful evaluation when assessing the complexities of "post-COVID headache" as well as the need to further investigate the different, underlying, pathophysiological mechanisms.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; headache; migraine; post-COVID-19.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19 / complications*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Migraine Disorders / virology*
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
SARS-CoV-2