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15-04-2024 | Cluster Headache | Original article

A retrospective cohort study: is COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination a trigger factor for cluster headache?

Authors: Suna Aşkın Turan, Şenay Aydın

Abstract

Objectıve

Cluster headache (CH) is a coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination-related adverse event. There are a few case reports of relapses or de novo cluster episodes following the vaccine. The disease's pathophysiology is still not clear. The most widely accepted mechanism is activation of the trigeminocervical complex (TCC). However, the correlation between vaccination and CH is unexplainable. Its goal is to compare the CH bouts of patients before and after the vaccine.

Methods

Patients with a history of CH and who had never experienced COVID-19 illness during the pandemic were included in this retrospective cohort analysis. The semi-structured survey was administered face to face to 24 CH patients (16 male). The headache features before and after vaccination were detailed in this survey.

Results

18 patients got vaccinated twice, and 6 of them had no vaccination. After the first vaccination, 83.3% of them had CH bout; after the second vaccination, 72.2% of them had CH bout. We divided headache episodes into three groups: (1) before vaccination, (2) after the first vaccination, and (3) after the second vaccination. The third group had a higher pain intensity (9.30 ± 0.630, p = 0.047) and remitting longer (20.00 ± 5.40 days, p = 0.019) than the other groups. The management of the 53.3% bouts after vaccinations was less effective than the usual episodes.

Conclusion

Most ECH patients experienced new bouts more intense and longer duration after vaccinations than their previous bouts, the mechanism, and pathogenesis of the bouts are the subject of future research. The new studies can be a light for understanding the CH pathophysiology more deeply.

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Title: A retrospective cohort study: is COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination a trigger factor for cluster headache?
Authors: Suna Aşkın Turan
Şenay Aydın
Publication date: 15-04-2024
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Keywords: Cluster Headache
Vaccination
Headache
COVID-19
Published in: Acta Neurologica Belgica
Print ISSN: 0300-9009
Electronic ISSN: 2240-2993
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-024-02536-7

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

A retrospective cohort study: is COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination a trigger factor for cluster headache?

Abstract

Objectıve

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objectıve

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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