SynthesisThe journal of headache and pain2022
Headache onset after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The journal of headache and pain, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Headaches and facial pain attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination: a systematic review.European journal of neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Cost-efficacy evaluation of a mindfulness-based program added to treatment as usual for the treatment of chronic migraine associated to medication overuse headache.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Trial
- New-Onset Headache After SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination: Results From Three Population-Based Cohorts in Norway.European journal of neurology · 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
- Sex-related differences in the association between migraine, COVID-19, and long COVID: a population-based cohort.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- A retrospective cohort study: is COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination a trigger factor for cluster headache?Acta neurologica Belgica · 2024Article
- Adverse Events of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States: Temporal and Spatial Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Central nervous system manifestations following vaccination against COVID-19.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Review
- Increased risk of functional neurological disorders following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.European journal of neurology · 2024Article
- Questionnaire-based study of COVID-19 vaccination induced headache: evidence of clusters of adverse events.BMC neurology · 2024Article
- Health equity, care access and quality in headache - part 1.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Review
- The World Health Organization Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders and the headache revolution: from headache burden to a global action plan for headache disorders.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Review
- Exacerbation of Pre-Existing Chronic Pain in Older Adults After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Single-Center, Cross-Sectional, Observational Study.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Group of longitudinal adverse event patterns after the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccination with a latent class analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- New insights into the increased risk of migraines from COVID-19 infection and vaccination: a Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Scoping Review: The Effects of Interrupted Onabotulinumtoxin A Treatment for Chronic Migraine Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Article
- NEURO-COVAX: An Italian Population-Based Study of Neurological Complications after COVID-19 Vaccinations.Vaccines · 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
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
39 authors at 20 institutions in 15 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are used to reduce the risk of developing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Despite the significant benefits in terms of reduced risk of hospitalization and death, different adverse events may present after vaccination: among them, headache is one of the most common, but nowadays there is no summary presentation of its incidence and no description of its main features.
methodsWe searched PubMed and EMBASE covering the period between January 1
resultsOut of 9338 records, 84 papers were included in the review, accounting for 1.57 million participants, 94% of whom received BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1. Headache was generally the third most common AE: it was detected in 22% (95% CI 18-27%) of subjects after the first dose of vaccine and in 29% (95% CI 23-35%) after the second, with an extreme heterogeneity. Those receiving placebo reported headache in 10-12% of cases. No differences were detected across different vaccines or by mRNA-based vs. "traditional" ones. None of the studies reported information on headache features. A lower prevalence of headache after the first injection of BNT162b2 among older participants was shown.
conclusionsOur results show that vaccines are associated to a two-fold risk of developing headache within 7 days from injection, and the lack of difference between vaccine types enable to hypothesize that headache is secondary to systemic immunological reaction than to a vaccine-type specific reaction. Some descriptions report onset within the first 24 h and that in around one-third of the cases, headache has migraine-like features with pulsating quality, phono and photophobia; in 40-60% of the cases aggravation with activity is observed. The majority of patients used some medication to treat headache, the one perceived as the most effective being acetylsalicylic acid.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.