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Título

PREVALENCE OF EXTERNAL COMPRESSION HEADACHE CAUSED BY USE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IN HEALTHCARE WORKERS EXPOSED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Resumo

INTRODUCTION: External compression headache is classified as a primary headache resulting from compression of the soft tissues lining the skull. Pain is caused when peripheral nociceptors are stimulated due to some tissue lesion. In this perspective, with the use of protective equipment covering the skull in times of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is evident the possibility of the development of headache in health professionals, due to the prolonged use of these accessories. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of external compression headache caused by the use of face shields and other personal protective equipment (PPE) in healthcare workers exposed to the pandemic of COVID-19. METHODS: This was a non-intervention, quantitative approach, observational, cross-sectional study. 202 participants completed an online questionnaire, after approval by the local Research Ethics Committee. Of these, 8 were excluded because they used a cloth mask. ICHD3 criteria were used to confirm the presence of preexisting headache and external compression headache. Kolmogorov-Smirnoff's test and Ficher's exact test were applied using SPSS software. RESULTS: 1949 healthcare professionals were included in the sample, which comprised 71.6% (139) women and 28.4% (55) men. 79.4% (154) of the professionals were between 22-40 years of age and 20.6% (40) were between 41-64 years of age. It was observed that 20.6% (40) had headaches diagnosed before the pandemic. Headaches prevalence associated with PPE use was high (81%). Regarding new headaches, 62% (49) could be classified as external compression headache, with 34 women. When calculating the prevalence of external compression headache in relation to the study sample, a value of 25.2% was obtained. To 15 of the 49 professionals (30.6%), headache was not associated with any symptoms. Furthermore, the frequency of painful episodes was 4 to 7 days per month for most of them (32.6%). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of external compression headache caused by PPE use was high in the study population, reaffirming the clinical characteristics of previous studies, and may have associated symptoms. There was no significant difference between the types of PPE and the prevalence of the occurrence of external compression headache, and a change in the preexisting headache pattern was also reported.