Although the Coronavirus mainly affects the respiratory system, causing symptoms such as dry cough, loss of taste, smell and shortness of breath, however, there are increasing reports that Corona also causes neurological effects such as encephalitis and stroke.
Headache has been reported in patients COVID-19 It is one of the most common neurological manifestations and needs further evaluation now.
In a study published in the journal Headache Researchers from the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences in India report a case study of a 15-year-old boy who entered the emergency room with a headache.
A throbbing headache started suddenly and was coming every 5-10 minutes, the boy was also vomiting and was sensitive to light, the patient reported that it was worse when he woke up in the morning and increased when bending forward, although the boy had a low fever 8 days before the headache appeared There were no respiratory symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, or loss of smell.
Headache is a symptom of Corona–
Headache caused by Covid-19 disease
When the doctors examined the patient, they found no fever, and although he was agitated, he responded to orders at intervals. An eye exam and an MRI brain scan did not reveal any abnormalities, and the routine blood tests were also normal.
Doctors found an increase in pressure of 30 cm of water when examining the cerebrospinal fluid, and the test results for viral pathogens such as mumps, varicella and enterovirus were negative.
Doctors started giving the patient intravenous fluids, acyclovir and paracetamol, and after 5 days of treatment, the boy was conscious and had no behavioral symptoms, but his headache did not improve and he did not respond to the sedatives.
The patient’s nose and throat swabs were sent to test for the virus, and they came back positive, but the cerebrospinal fluid was negative for the virus, and repeated cerebrospinal fluid testing showed an increase in pressure of 28 cm of water.
Doctors performed a second lumbar puncture, which greatly reduced the patient’s headache, and he was given dexamethasone, mannitol, acetazolamide, and topiramate for two weeks while in the hospital, and after three weeks, the patient was fine with no reports of headaches, and he needed no more. Of medicines.
A new headache during a pandemic should not be ignored
There have been reports of cases COVID-19 Which describes and confirms headaches in patients and their nature, and literature reports indicate that about 11-14% of patients COVID-19 They reported a headache, as studies of patients in Beijing, China showed that headache was a common symptom in about 6.5% of patients.
There may be different mechanisms for the emergence of headaches in patients COVID-19And, a person could have an infection at the ends of the trigeminal nerve in the nasal cavity.
The authors believe that headaches are most likely the result of the body’s immune response to corona, with changes in the production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid, which leads to increased pressure inside the skull, which may lead to cerebral edema due to cytokines or endothelial infection. .
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