ArticleBrain communications2021
Clinical characteristics of headache after vaccination against COVID-19 (coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine: a multicentre observational cohort study.
Article in Brain communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 41 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Headaches and facial pain attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination: a systematic review.European journal of neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Headache following vaccination against COVID-19 among healthcare workers with a history of COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional study in Iran with a meta-analytic review of the literature.Head & face medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Headache onset after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.The journal of headache and pain · 2022Pooled it
- The Association of Headache and Physical Activity in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Long-term effectiveness of fremanezumab in episodic and chronic migraine patients in clinical routine - 24-months results from the prospective non-interventional FINESSE study.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Article
- New-Onset Headache After SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination: Results From Three Population-Based Cohorts in Norway.European journal of neurology · 2025Article
- COVID-19 Vaccination Modifies COVID-19-Related Headache Phenotype: Evidence from Case-Control Study on 309 Participants.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Patterns of Past COVID-19 and EBV Infection in Primary Headache Disorders: A Population Study.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Comparison of Phenotypes of Headaches After COVID-19 Vaccinations Differentiated According to the Vaccine Used.Vaccines · 2025Article
- COVID-19 Vaccines Effectiveness and Safety in Trinidad and Tobago: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- A retrospective cohort study: is COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination a trigger factor for cluster headache?Acta neurologica Belgica · 2024Article
- Central nervous system manifestations following vaccination against COVID-19.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Review
- The Impact of COVID-19 on the Guillain-Barré Syndrome Incidence.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Drug-related catatonia in youths: real-world insights from the WHO Safety Database.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- Questionnaire-based study of COVID-19 vaccination induced headache: evidence of clusters of adverse events.BMC neurology · 2024Article
- Exploring the reported adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines among vaccinated Arab populations: a multi-national survey study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Differences and similarities between COVID-19 related-headache and COVID-19 vaccine related-headache. A case-control study.Revista de neurologia · 2023Article
- COVID-19 vaccination-related headache showed two different clusters in the long-term course: a prospective multicenter follow-up study (COVA-Head Study).The journal of headache and pain · 2023Observational
- The Relationship between Socio-Demographic Factors, Preventive Health Behaviors and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine among Israeli Pregnant Women during the Coronavirus Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- [Headache associated with COVID-19 vaccination: how to classify?]Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes the infectious disease COVID-19. Newly developed mRNA vaccines can prevent the spread of the virus. Headache is the most common neurological symptom in over 50% of those vaccinated. Detailed information about the clinical characteristics of this form of headache has not yet been described. The aim of the study is to examine in detail the clinical characteristics of headaches occurring after vaccination against COVID-19 with the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for the first time. In a multicentre observational cohort study, data on the clinical features and corresponding variables were recorded using a standardized online questionnaire. The questionnaire was circulated to 12 000 residential care homes of the elderly as well as tertiary university hospitals in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. The primary outcomes of this study are the clinical features of headache after vaccination. Comorbidities, treatment with medication and sociodemographic variables are also analysed. A total of 2349 participants reported headaches after vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Headaches occur an average of 18.0 ± 27.0 h after vaccination and last an average duration of 14.2 ± 21.3 h. Only 9.7% of those affected also report headaches resulting from previous vaccinations. In 66.6% of the participants, headache occurs as a single episode. A bilateral location is indicated by 73.1% of the participants. This is most often found on the forehead (38.0%) and temples (32.1%). A pressing pain character is indicated by 49.2% and 40.7% report a dull pain character. The pain intensity is most often moderate (46.2%), severe (32.1%) or very severe (8.2%). The most common accompanying symptoms are fatigue (38.8%), exhaustion (25.7%) and muscle pain (23.4%). Headaches after COVID-19 vaccination show an extensive complex of symptoms. The constellation of accompanying symptoms together with the temporal and spatial headache characteristics delimit a distinctive headache phenotype.
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