Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection altered the factors associated with headache: evidence from a multicenter community-based case–control study

INTRODUCTION: Headache is one of the significant global public health concerns. Furthermore, it is a standard feature of patients with acute and postacute COVID-19. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to estimate and compare the prevalence of headaches among postacute COVID and non-COVID individuals and identify and contrast the risk factors between both groups. METHODS: This was a multicenter case–control study. Individuals who had recovered from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection were considered “case”, and those who never tested positive for COVID-19 were considered “control.” Headaches were measured using the musculoskeletal subscale of the subjective health complaints scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of headaches. RESULTS: A total of 878 individuals (439 cases) aged 38.30 ± 12.77 years (mean ± standard deviation) participated in this study. The prevalence of headaches was 26.2% among COVID-19 survivors; however, only 10.7% of unaffected participants reported headaches at the same time. Regression analyses suggested that the recovery duration from acute COVID-19 ≤ 90 days (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.03, CI = 1.13–3.65) was the only predictor of headache among postacute COVID-19 survivors. However, the female gender (AOR = 3.09, 95% CI = 1.51–6.32), members of a joint family (AOR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.02–3.90), and city dwellers (AOR = 2.43, 95% CI = 0.94–6.25) were the predictor of headache among non-COVID participants. CONCLUSION: This study found a higher prevalence of headaches among COVID-19 survivors. In addition, predictors of headache among cases and controls were unmatched, indicating heterogenous impact of COVID-19 on human health. The health care providers should be informed of the study's results when discussing better practices to mitigate the burden of headaches.