Objective

Headache disorders are exceedingly common in children and adolescents. The association between headaches, emotional stress, and disruptions in daily routines are well established. The goal of this study is to compare the experiences of patients with a preexisting diagnosis of a primary headache disorder in terms of headache frequency and severity, lifestyle techniques for headache prevention, screen use, and mood from before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Patients evaluated by the Headache Clinic at Children’s National Hospital between Summer 2020 and Winter 2021 were enrolled in a patient registry. Patients completed a questionnaire examining changes in headache characteristics and lifestyle factors since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

A total of 107 patients completed the survey. Since the pandemic’s onset, patients reported decreased physical activity (n = 59, 55%), increased frequency of chronic headaches from 40% (N = 42) to 50% (N = 54), and increased constant daily headaches from 22% (n = 24) to 36% (n = 38). Patients reported worsened anxiety (n = 58, 54%), mood (n = 50, 47%), and workload (n = 49, 46%). Sixty-one percent (n = 65) of patients reported using screens for school for more than 6 hours per day. The majority (n = 67, 63%) of patients indicated that they would prefer attending in-person school, with 14% (n = 15) responding that they preferred online school.

Conclusion

Since the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset, pediatric headache patients have experienced increasing headache frequency, worsening anxiety and mood, decreased physical activity, and increased screen usage. Although this study is limited by sample size and observational design, future population-based studies will further elucidate the impact of this pandemic on pediatric headache.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间的小儿头痛经历

客观的

头痛疾病在儿童和青少年中极为常见。头痛、情绪压力和日常生活中断之间的关联已经确立。本研究的目的是比较先前诊断为原发性头痛疾病的患者在头痛频率和严重程度、预防头痛的生活方式技术、屏幕使用以及 COVID-发作前后的情绪方面的经历。 19 流行病。

方法

国家儿童医院头痛诊所在 2020 年夏季至 2021 年冬季期间评估的患者被纳入患者登记处。患者完成了一份调查问卷，调查自 COVID-19 大流行开始以来头痛特征和生活方式因素的变化。

结果

共有107名患者完成了调查。自大流行开始以来，患者报告说体力活动减少（n = 59, 55%），慢性头痛的频率从 40%（N = 42）增加到 50%（N = 54），每天持续性头痛从 22% 增加。 n = 24) 至 36% (n = 38)。患者报告焦虑（n = 58, 54%）、情绪（n = 50, 47%）和工作量（n = 49, 46%）恶化。61% (n = 65) 的患者报告说每天在学校使用屏幕超过 6 小时。大多数 (n = 67, 63%) 的患者表示他们更愿意参加面对面的学校，14% (n = 15) 的患者表示他们更喜欢在线学校。

结论

自 COVID-19 大流行开始以来，小儿头痛患者的头痛频率增加、焦虑和情绪恶化、体力活动减少以及屏幕使用量增加。尽管这项研究受到样本量和观察设计的限制，但未来基于人群的研究将进一步阐明这种流行病对小儿头痛的影响。