Headaches among teens during Pandemic Caused by Depression and Anxiety - Physician's Weekly

1ST JULY 2022 (HealthDay News) — In the case of adolescents, new-onset and more severe headaches in the course of COVID-19 pandemic were linked with significantly higher depression levels and general anxiety levels, according to an analysis which was published at the Annual Congress of the European Academy of Neurology which ran between June 25 and 28 at Vienna .

Ayse Nur Ozdag Acarli, M.D., from Ermenek State Hospital in Karaman, Turkey, and colleagues investigated the long-term effect of the pandemic of headache on 851 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 years old. The characteristics and presence of headaches as well as academic performance as well as exposure to COVID-19 and exposure to electronic devices were studied.

The study discovered that the frequency of headaches was 98% (756/851 subjects). Of the participants who experienced headaches 10 percent reported experiencing a new-onset headaches, and 27 and 61 percent had worsened, improved, or stable headaches and stable headache, according to the study. Reduced school performance as well as student performance were more frequent for those who had a new-onset or worsened headache. In comparison to those who had more stable and better headaches those who had worsened and new-onset headaches were significantly more likely to have more depression and general anxiety scores. In comparison to the group with stable headache the group with worsened headache had significantly higher scores for coronavirus anxiety. There were significant correlations between headache frequency and severity as well as the onset of depression, age, as well as anxiety.

“Although earlier studies suggested that children were experiencing less headaches because of the closing of schools during the initial days and weeks of COVID-19 this more long-term study has shown that the pressures and stress of the epidemic eventually impacted their health,” Acarli said in a statement.

The study was aided by The Global Migraine and Pain Society.

Abstract No. EPO-070

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