PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - José María Ramirez-Moreno
AU  - David Ceberino
AU  - Alberto Gonzalez Plata
AU  - Belen Rebollo
AU  - Pablo Macias Sedas
AU  - Roshan Hariramani
AU  - Ana M Roa
AU  - Ana B Constantino
TI  - Mask-associated ‘de novo’ headache in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
AID  - 10.1136/oemed-2020-106956
DP  - 2020 Dec 30
TA  - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
PG  - oemed-2020-106956
4099  - http://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2020/12/29/oemed-2020-106956.short
4100  - http://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2020/12/29/oemed-2020-106956.full
AB  - Objectives The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed care activities of health professionals. We analysed the possible association between the appearance of ‘de novo’ headache according to the type of mask used, the related factors and the impact of the cephalalgia on health professionals.Methods Cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital in Extremadura, Spain. We provided an online questionnaire to healthcare workers during the period of maximum incidence of COVID-19 in our setting.Results The subjects are n=306, 244 women (79.7%), with an average age of 43 years (range 23–65). Of the total, 129 (42.2%) were physicians, 112 (36.6%) nurses and 65 (21.2%) other health workers. 208 (79.7%) used surgical masks and 53 (20.3%) used filter masks. Of all those surveyed, 158 (51.6%) presented ‘de novo’ headache. The occurrence of a headache was independently associated with the use of a filter mask, OR 2.14 (95% CI 1.07 to 4.32); being a nurse, OR 2.09 (95% CI 1.18 to 3.72) or another health worker, OR 6.94 (95% CI 3.01 to 16.04); or having a history of asthma, OR 0.29 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.89). According to the type of mask used, there were differences in headache intensity, and the impact of a headache in the subjects who used a filter mask was worse in all the aspects evaluated.Conclusion The appearance of ‘de novo’ headache is associated with the use of filter masks and is more frequent in certain healthcare workers, causing a greater occupational, family, personal and social impact.