Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Headache Evaluations in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Background: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on evaluations in the pediatric emergency department (ED) because of headache as main symptom.

Methods: Number and clinical features of patients evaluated in the pediatric ED of a single site in Milan,Italy, were collected between January 2017 and January 2022. The impact of COVID-19 on evaluation rates was quantified by using the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between the pandemic (March 2020 to January 2022) and the prepandemic period (January 2017 to February 2020).

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Key information

Conditions

COVID-19 Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Coronaviridae Infections Coronavirus Infections Disease Attributes Emergencies Emergency Service, Hospital Headache Disorders Infections Lung Diseases Nervous System Diseases Nidovirales Infections Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pneumonia Pneumonia, Viral RNA Virus Infections Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiratory Tract Infections Virus Diseases

Age range

2 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Pediatric Emergency Department Clinica de Marchi, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

Milan, Italy

Who can participate

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

range of age: 2 - 18 years
sex: all
headache as main symptom

Exclusion criteria

headache in the context of head trauma, because of different diagnostic-care in Pediatric Emergency Department

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

During the study period, 890 evaluations were registered: the number of partecipants was 689 over the prepandemic period and 201 over the pandemic period. Mean age at evaluation was 10 years (range: 1 to 17 years).

Time frame: the pandemic (March 2020 to January 2022) and the prepandemic period (January 2017 to February 2020).

Secondary outcomes

Evaluation rates per month were 18.1 during the prepandemic period and 8.7 during COVID-19 pandemic, with peaks in autumn and winter and drops in summer. The reduction in evaluation rate was higher for secondary headache when compared with primary one

Time frame: the pandemic (March 2020 to January 2022) and the prepandemic period (January 2017 to February 2020).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2022
Primary completion: 2022
Study completion: 2022
First posted: Mar 6, 2024
Registry last updated: Mar 6, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed