Pediatric Migraine Frequency Increased During COVID-19 Pandemic

Data published in the Journal of Child Neurology suggest that elevation of stress associated with disruptions to daily life, social distancing practices, and COVID-19 anxiety greatly affected children with headache disorders. A new study of children with headache showed that headache frequency, stress, screen time, and inactivity all increased between the summer of 2020 and the winter of 2021. 

Before the pandemic, 60% of this group of children reported having headaches less than 15 days of the month, which dropped to 50% postpandemic. Constant daily headaches went from 22% before the pandemic to 36% after the start of the pandemic. Headaches worsened in 49% of participants and physical activity levels decreased in 54%. Over half of the participants (61%) reported using screens for more than 6 hours a day during the pandemic.

In the study, 107 children with headache disorders completed a questionnaire about changes in headache characteristics and lifestyle factors since the start of the pandemic. Participants reported worsening anxiety, mood, and workload which effects the intensity and frequency of headaches.

“These findings are really impactful to me as a physician and a parent. It is important we gain a better understanding about how stress and changes in routine affect children’s wellbeing and mood,” says lead author Marc DiSabella, DO, director of the Headache Program at Children’s National Hospital. “Things like moving to a virtual environment may have resulted in feelings of isolation and anxiety for kids, and increased screen time may have played a role in more frequent headaches.”

The authors of the study note that whether or not increased screen time worsens headaches is not confirmed. Lack of physical exercise caused by the pandemic may be a cause of the migraine increase.

“We already know that patients with headache disorders have disproportionately high rates of mood complaints, including anxious and depressive symptoms,” Dr. DiSabella says. “The fact that our patients reported this worsened during quarantine is an additional stress on their already complex lives, managing pain, school and extra-curricular activities.”