COVID-19 can manifest as a headache

Did you know that COVID-19 can manifest as a headache? However, it is only present in 14-percent of COVID-19 patients. “And most often, patients show the other most common symptoms like fever and dry cough,” clarified Dr. Corina A. Macalintal, consultant neurologist at Asian Hospital and Medical Center, during “Tama Na: Iwas Migraine, New Normal,” a virtual media briefing organized by Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

The good news is that migraine doesn’t increase the risk of COVID-19. 

What’s more alarming though is that stress and anxiety induced by the COVID-19 pandemic are impacting migraine sufferers around the world.

“Migraine sufferers may grow anxious due to the overlap of migraine and COVID-19 symptoms,” explained Dr. Macalintal. “Migraine attacks may be common these days because of stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic.”

Migraine is a type of headache disorder that involves recurrent attacks of moderate to severe head pain, which is typically throbbing, often on one side of the head and associated with nausea, vomitting and sensitivity to light and sound.

While it’s important for migraine patients to consult a neurologist, this pandemic prevents them to do so for fear of contacting the virus.

“Instead, what they normally do is treat the symptoms with regular analgesics. Although these over-the-counter pain relievers — mefenamic acid and paracetamol — are often the first line of treatment in migraine, Dr. Macalintal stressed that there are abortive therapies that are specific for migraine.

“That’s why it’s very important for migraine patients to consult a neurologist as migraine management is individualized, depending on the patient’s other health concerns and different reactions to medications,” added Dr. Macalintal.

Identify what triggers your migraine

To help manage migraine, patients are encouraged to identify their triggers and try to avoid them.

TV host and model Bianca Gonzalez, who was diagnosed with migraine when she was three years old, shared that bright lights and loud sounds are triggers for her.

“It’s very difficult to be a migraine sufferer,” Bianca said. “My worst migraine attacks lasted for three days. I was so worried at one point that I had another contrast CT scan just to check if there’s something in my head that causes severe pain. Thankfully, everything was clear.”

It also doesn’t help that Bianca’s migraine triggers usually come when she’s at work.

“And so during hosting gigs, I have to take strong medicine and take a nap backstage before showtime, so I could ease my migraine headache and be able to perform my role as a host.”

During the quarantine period, Bianca was religiously logging her migraine attacks and saw the pattern.

“Thank goodness I’m having less migraine attacks during this quarantine. I guess it’s because I wasn’t exposed that much to the triggers since work is temporarily halted,” she added.

It is important for patients to monitor their migraine with available tools such as the Migraine Buddy, an advanced migraine headache diary and tracking app designed with neurologists and data scientists. The Migraine Buddy app is available on the App Store and Google Play.

Bianca is also grateful to her husband JC Intal for supporting her whenever she gets migraine attacks. She also thanks other migraine sufferers who express their support whenever she posts on social media.

“It’s a huge help knowing that I am not alone in coping with this debilitating disease,” Bianca said as she urged people who suffer from terrible headaches and suspect migraine to consult a doctor.

“You can consult a doctor online during this community quarantine. Your doctor will determine which treatment is right for you,” she shared.