Craniocervical Pain, Sleep Quality, Depressive Symptoms, and Physical Activity in Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: An increase in the workload and use of personal protective equipment by healthcare workers was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the connections between craniocervical structures, symptoms such as neck pain and temporomandibular symptoms could be influenced by the use of PPE. AIMS: To assess the prevalence of craniocervical pain, sleep quality, physical activity, and depressive symptoms and relationship among craniocervical symptoms in healthcare workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Healthcare workers. SETTINGS: An online questionnaire included a self-report of craniocervical pain intensity [orofacial pain, neck pain, and headache (Numerical Rating Scale)], sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire two items) and physical activity (self-report). METHODS: The sample analysis was performed by descriptive statistics, the paired t-test was used to compare symptoms intensity before and during the pandemic. The relationship between dependent and independent samples was assessed through McNemar test, Pearson's chi-squared test, and Student's independent t-test. A value of p < .05 was adopted as statistical significance. RESULTS: Overall, 147 participants replied the questionnaires. Headache, neck pain, and orofacial pain complaints increased during the pandemic in healthcare workers (p < 0.001). Craniocervical pain was correlated with poor sleep quality, probable depression, and physical activity during the pandemic (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Healthcare workers self-reported more craniocervical pain during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the pandemic. In addition, poor sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and physical inactivity were associated with craniocervical symptoms during this period.

Higher Neck Pain Intensity and Pain Catastrophizing Soon After A Whiplash Injury Partially Explain the Presence of Persistent Headache: A Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: To understand whether pain-related factors soon after a whiplash injury can explain the presence of chronic headache. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study with a follow-up of 6 months was performed, including 42 patients with acute whiplash-associated disorders. Neck pain intensity, the Neck Disability Index, the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and the Anxiety State-Trait Scale were assessed at baseline. Differences in clinical characteristics between those with and without headache at 6 months were determined. The relative risk of presenting with headache was evaluated. A logistic regression model was performed to assess which factors at baseline could explain the presence of headache at 6 months. RESULTS: At 6 months, one-third of the sample presented with chronic headache. Significant differences were found for several outcome measures when people with and without headache were compared ( P <0.001). The highest relative risk of presenting with headache was found for moderate/severe levels of pain catastrophizing during the acute phase (RR=15.00, 95% CI=3.93, 57.22). The level of neck pain intensity and pain catastrophizing at baseline partially explained the presence of headache at 6 months ( R2 =0.627). DISCUSSION: The risk of presenting with persistent headache attributed to a whiplash injury is increased when people present with higher neck pain intensity and pain catastrophizing soon after a whiplash injury. Evaluating neck pain intensity and pain catastrophizing at baseline may assist in identifying those more likely to develop chronic headache, potentially providing an opportunity for early targeted interventions.

Biobehavioral treatments of migraine.

Pharmacotherapies are the mainstays of migraine management, though it is not uncommon for them to be poorly tolerated, contraindicated, or only modestly effective. There is a clear need for nonpharmacologic migraine therapies, either employed alone or in combination with pharmacotherapies. Behavioral and psychosocial factors known to contribute to the onset, exacerbation, and persistence of primary headache disorders (e.g., stress, sleep, diet) serve as targets within a self-management model for migraine-a model that features headache pharmacotherapies, behavioral skills training, medication adherence facilitation, relevant lifestyle changes, and techniques to limit headache-related impairment. Behavioral self-management interventions for migraine with the strongest empirical validation (e.g., relaxation training, biofeedback training, cognitive-behavior therapies) presently are available in specialty headache treatment centers and routinely show promise for reducing headache pain frequency/severity and related impairment, reducing reliance on pharmacotherapies, enhancing personal control over headache activity, and reducing headache-related distress and symptoms. These approaches may be particularly well-suited among patients for whom pharmacotherapies are unwanted, poorly tolerated, or contraindicated. Though underutilized, clinical trials indicate that new and well-established behavioral therapies are similarly effective to migraine medications for migraine prevention among adults and can be successfully employed in various settings.

Headache and psychological variables as predictors of disability in individuals with primary headache disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relative contribution of headache symptoms and psychological factors to headache-related disability. BACKGROUND: Both headache symptoms and comorbid psychological factors (psychiatric symptoms and transdiagnostic constructs) negatively impact functioning among individuals with migraine and tension-type headache, but few studies have explored their relative contribution to headache-related disability. We hypothesized that psychiatric symptoms and transdiagnostic variables would afford incremental contribution to disability beyond headache symptoms, and we investigated the moderating role of headache diagnosis on these relationships. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined data from a southern U.S. university online sample of 1818 young adults (mean [SD] age 19.0 [5.1] years; 74.6% female) who met the International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition criteria for primary headache disorders (46.6% episodic migraine, 11.6% chronic migraine, 38.3% episodic tension-type headache, 3.5% chronic tension-type headache) and completed measures assessing psychological factors and headache-related disability. Headache, psychiatric symptoms, and transdiagnostic factors were examined in relation to headache-related disability, after controlling for sex. Moderation analyses examined the conditional effect of diagnosis on disability. RESULTS: As predicted, both psychiatric and transdiagnostic symptoms accounted for unique variance in headache-related disability beyond headache symptoms (R2 changes of 2.7% and 2.3%, respectively). Significant three-way interactions revealed the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and disability (b = -3.16, p = 0.002), and between transdiagnostic variables and disability (b = -2.37, p = 0.034). Tests of simple slopes showed greater psychiatric symptoms and transdiagnostic variables were associated with higher levels of disability. However, the associations of these variables with disability were strongest among individuals with chronic tension-type headache (B = 3.93 for psychiatric symptoms and B = 4.62 for transdiagnostic symptoms, both p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Psychiatric and transdiagnostic factors contribute uniquely to headache-related functional impairment, which may be important for expanding targeted assessment and behavioral interventions.

Killing pain? A prospective population-based study on trauma exposure in childhood as predictor for frequent use of over-the-counter analgesics in young adulthood. The HUNT study.

Frequent and increasing use of over-the-counter analgesics (OTCA) is a public health concern. Pain conditions and psychological distress are related to frequent OTCA use, and as exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTE) in childhood appears to increase risk of experiencing such symptoms, we aimed to assess childhood PTEs and related symptoms in adolescence as predictors for frequent OTCA use in young adulthood. Prospective population survey data were used (n = 2947, 59.1% female, 10-13 years follow-up). Exposure to PTEs, symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, musculoskeletal pain and headache were assessed in adolescence (13-19 years). Use of OTCA was assessed in young adulthood (22-32 years) and use of OTCA to treat musculoskeletal pain and headache served as separate outcomes in ordinal logistic regression analyses. Overall, exposure to childhood PTEs, particularly direct interpersonal violence, was significantly and consistently related to more frequent use of OTCA to treat musculoskeletal pain and headaches in young adulthood. Adjusting for psychological symptoms and pain attenuated associations, indicating that these symptoms are of importance for the relationship between traumatic events and OTCA use. These findings emphasize the need to address symptomatology and underlying causes at an early age.

Sleep disturbances are associated with pain intensity and pain-related functional interference in patients experiencing orofacial pain.

BACKGROUND: Sleep and pain have a reciprocal relationship, interacting with psychosocial aspects including depression, anxiety, somatization and significant stressful events. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess patients with oro-facial pain (OFP) and related sleep disturbances and determine the strongest psychosocial correlates. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of anonymized data of consecutive patients with OFP {January 2019 and February 2020} were analysed. Diagnostic and Axis-II data were integrated to assess the relationship between sleep disturbances, measured using Chronic Pain Sleep Inventory, and demographic factors, clinical comorbidities, recent stressful events, pain severity and pain- and psychological-related function. RESULTS: Five out of six patients with OFP were presented with pain-related sleep disturbances. Sleep problems were enhanced in patients with primary oro-facial headache compared with other OFP conditions. However, once the level of pain intensity and interference was accounted for, primary headache, was not a significant correlate of pain-related sleep disturbances. Multivariate analysis revealed (average) pain severity and pain interference were both significantly associated with sleep problems. There were also significant independent associations of sleep problems with somatization levels and reported experience of recent stressful events. CONCLUSION: Identifying sleep problems as a part of OFP management may be beneficial and could result in better management outcomes.

Mechanisms of change in posttraumatic headache-related disability: A mediation model.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the association between change in headache management self-efficacy and posttraumatic headache-related disability is partially mediated by a change in anxiety symptom severity. BACKGROUND: Many cognitive-behavioral therapy treatments for headache emphasize stress management, which includes anxiety management strategies; however, little is currently known about mechanisms of change in posttraumatic headache-related disability. Increasing our understanding of mechanisms could lead to improvements in treatments for these debilitating headaches. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of veterans (N = 193) recruited to participate in a randomized clinical trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, or treatment as usual for persistent posttraumatic headache. The direct relationship between headache management self-efficacy and headache-related disability, along with partial mediation through change in anxiety symptoms was tested. RESULTS: The mediated latent change direct, mediated, and total pathways were statistically significant. The path analysis supported a significant direct pathway between headache management self-efficacy and headache-related disability (b = -0.45, p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI: -0.58, -0.33]). The total effect of change of headache management self-efficacy scores on change in Headache Impact Test-6 scores was significant with a moderate-to-strong effect (b = -0.57, p = 0.001; 95% CI [-0.73, -0.41]). There was also an indirect effect through anxiety symptom severity change (b = -0.12, p = 0.003; 95% CI [-0.20, -0.04]). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, most of the improvements in headache-related disability were related to increased headache management self-efficacy with mediation occurring through change in anxiety. This indicates that headache management self-efficacy is a likely mechanism of change of posttraumatic headache-related disability with decreases in anxiety explaining part of the improvement in headache-related disability.

Accumulation of health complaints is associated with persistent musculoskeletal pain two years later in adolescents: The Fit Futures study.

There is limited knowledge on the association between different health complaints and the development of persistent musculoskeletal pain in adolescents. The aims of this study were to assess whether specific health complaints, and an accumulation of health complaints, in the first year of upper-secondary school, were associated with persistent musculoskeletal pain 2 years later. We used data from a population-based cohort study (the Fit Futures Study in Norway), including 551 adolescents without persistent musculoskeletal pain at baseline. The outcome was persistent musculoskeletal pain (≥3 months) 2 years after inclusion. The following self-reported health complaints were investigated as individual exposures at baseline: asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema, headache, abdominal pain and psychological distress. We also investigated the association between the accumulated number of self-reported health complaints and persistent musculoskeletal pain 2 years later. Logistic regression analyses estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). At the 2-year follow-up, 13.8% (95% CI [11.2-16.9]) reported persistent musculoskeletal pain. Baseline abdominal pain was associated with persistent musculoskeletal pain 2 years later (OR 2.33, 95% CI [1.29-4.19], p = 0.01). Our analyses showed no statistically significant associations between asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema, headache or psychological distress and persistent musculoskeletal pain at the 2-year follow-up. For the accumulated number of health complaints, a higher odds of persistent musculoskeletal pain at the 2-year follow-up was observed for each additional health complaint at baseline (OR 1.33, 95% CI [1.07-1.66], p = 0.01). Health care providers might need to take preventive actions in adolescents with abdominal pain and in adolescents with an accumulation of health complaints to prevent development of persistent musculoskeletal pain. The potential multimorbidity perspective of adolescent musculoskeletal pain is an important topic for future research to understand the underlying patterns of persistent pain conditions in adolescents.

Digital headache self-management interventions for patients with a primary headache disorder: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: This article systematically reviews the empirical literature examining the efficacy of digital headache management interventions for patients with a primary headache disorder. BACKGROUND: Digital headache management interventions provide opportunities to improve access to behavioral headache interventions to underserved groups. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO (PsycInfo, Education Research Complete, ERIC, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection) and reference review was conducted. Included studies had to recruit a sample with a primary headache diagnosis, be a randomized controlled trial including a digital component, assess a headache outcome (i.e., frequency, duration, severity, intensity, disability) or quality of life, and be published in English. Two authors independently extracted data for included studies. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. RESULTS: Thirteen studies with unique interventions met inclusion criteria. More than half of the studies were pilots; however, nearly 70% (9/13) demonstrated significant between-group or within-group improvements on one or more headache-related outcomes. All interventions included some form of relaxation training and the majority were delivered via interactive website. While fewer than half the studies report participant race and/or ethnicity, of those that do, 83% (5/6) reported a predominately White/Caucasian sample. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy testing of digital headache interventions is in its infancy with the majority of these studies relying on pilot studies with small samples comprised of homogenous patient populations. Interactive websites were the most common digital medium to deliver digital headache management interventions and have demonstrated promising results. Further testing using large-scale randomized controlled trials and exploration of other digital tools is warranted. Future studies with more diverse samples are needed to inform health equity of digital headache interventions.

Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Headache Impact, Anxiety, and Physical Activity Levels in Patients with Chronic Tension-Type Headache: An Observational Study.

Background: Chronic tension-type headache is the primary headache with the highest prevalence. The present study is aimed at analyzing the associations between patient self-efficacy and headache impact with pain characteristics, kinesiophobia, anxiety sensitivity, and physical activity levels in subjects with chronic tension-type headache. Materials and Methods: An observational descriptive study was carried out. A total sample of 42 participants was recruited at university environment with diagnosis of tension-type headache. Headache characteristics (frequency, intensity, and duration), physical activity levels, pain related-self-efficacy, kinesiophobia, anxiety sensitivity, and headache impact were measured. Results: The HIT-6 (61.05 ± 6.38) score showed significant moderate positive correlations with the ASI-3 score (17.64 ± 16.22; r = 0.47) and moderate negative correlations with the self-efficacy in the domains of pain management (31.9 ± 10.28; r = -0.43) and coping with symptoms (53.81 ± 14.19; r = -0.47). ASI-3 score had a negative large correlation with self-efficacy in the domains of pain management (r = -0.59), physical function (53.36 ± 7.99; r = -0.55), and coping with symptoms (r = -0.68). Physical activity levels showed positive moderate correlations with the self-efficacy in the domain of physical function (r = 0.41). Linear regression models determined that the self-efficacy and anxiety sensitivity with showed a significant relationship with the HIT-6 score (R 2 = 0.262; p = 0.008) and with the ASI-3 score (R 2 = 0.565; p < 0.001). In addition, no correlations were found between pain intensity, duration or frecuency with psychosocial factors, or headache impact. Conclusions: The present study showed that patients with chronic tension-type headache had a great negative impact on daily tasks and physical activity levels, which were associated with higher anxiety levels and lower self-efficacy.

Dysfunctional sleep beliefs and behaviours: Psychological factors in sleep-related headaches.

Sleep problems are amongst the most common triggers of migraine and non-migraine primary headache. Despite a majority of sleep problems being psychological in nature, there is a paucity of quantitative research on the psychological factors involved in sleep-related headaches. This is the first study to examine the link between maladaptive sleep beliefs and headaches. 542 participants completed an online battery measuring headache, sleep, and psychological distress. Avoidance of sleep-related headache triggers was associated with more headaches, as mediated by increased sensitivity to the triggers. Sleep quality, sleep beliefs, and sleep behaviours all significantly (p < .001) correlated with headache frequency and disability, with effect sizes ranging from small (rs = 0.16) to medium (rs = 0.37). Mediation models testing the effect of sleep beliefs on headaches via sleep quality (covaried by sleep behaviours) accounted for 13% and 14% of variance in migraine and non-migraine headaches, respectively (p < .001). Avoidance of sleep-related headache triggers was shown to be associated with greater headache frequency (via increased trigger sensitivity). It is posited that maladaptive sleep beliefs and behaviours may increase headache activity by causing poor sleep quality, leading to dysregulation in brain regions shared between sleep and headaches.

Headache Diary Mobile Application for Monitoring and Characterizing Posttraumatic Headaches.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the data collected using a headache diary mobile application to characterize posttraumatic headaches (PTHs) in a sample of US veterans. Specifically, we measured patient engagement with the mobile application and compared our findings with previous literature regarding PTHs. SETTING: A Headache Center of Excellence (HCoE) in a Veterans Health Administration facility. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-nine veterans currently being treated for ongoing PTH-related complaints with English fluency, reliable access to the internet, and a mobile phone. DESIGN: Observational study of PTH characteristics using the mobile application over the course of 1 year. MEASURES: Main outcome measures were collected via a headache diary mobile application developed for patients to track headache-associated symptoms, headache location, triggers, type, intensity, and duration. Patients also completed a baseline Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) survey. RESULTS: In total, 1569 entries were completed during the first year of application deployment. On average, patients completed 2.5 entries per week and used the application for 70 days. They frequently reported associated PTH symptoms of photophobia (56.7%) and headaches triggered by emotional stress (35.1%). Network analyses revealed patterns of co-occurrence in triggers of headache pain, associated symptoms, and headache pain location. Headache pain severity and impact ratings from the headache diary demonstrated convergent validity with the established HIT-6 measure. CONCLUSIONS: Headache diary mobile applications are a promising tool for monitoring and characterizing PTHs in veterans. Present results mirror past studies of PTH characteristics. Mobile application headache diaries may be used in both clinical and research settings to monitor headache symptoms and communicate the functional impact of headaches in real time.

Secular trends in childhood pain and comorbid psychiatric symptoms: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: Pain symptoms are common in childhood. They often lead to functional impairment and co-occur with psychiatric difficulties. Although children's lives have undergone enormous changes in recent decades, long-term data on changes in pain symptoms, and in comorbid psychiatric difficulties, is lacking. This knowledge is crucial, as co-occurring psychiatric symptoms are significant predictors of long-term outcome for children who suffer from pain. The main purpose of the present study was to explore secular changes in comorbid pain and psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: Four population-based, cross-sectional surveys of 8-9-year-old children were conducted in Southwest Finland in 1989, 1999, 2005, and 2013. Identical methodologies and questionnaire-based measures were used each study year. Participation ranged from 891 to 986 over the study period. The children were asked about the frequency of headache, abdominal pain, and other pains. Children, their parents, and teachers provided information on the child's psychiatric difficulties, including internalizing and externalizing symptoms. RESULTS: The cumulative odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the overall prevalence of pain symptoms increased among both genders from 1989 to 2013 and ranged from 1.4 (1.03-1.8) for other pains to 2.4 (1.7-3.3) for abdominal pain. Comorbid internalizing symptoms increased among girls with odd ratios and 95% CIs of 1.8 (1.03-3.1) for children with any kind of pain, and 3.0 (1.4-6.2) for children with headache. No changes were found among boys. CONCLUSION: Overall pain symptoms doubled in both genders, but the most novel finding was that comorbid emotional difficulties tripled among girls who reported headaches. Further research is needed to confirm, and explain, these findings.

Health Mindsets in Pediatric Chronic Headache.

OBJECTIVE: Given how frequently youth with chronic headache and migraine experience setbacks in treatment, identifying factors that promote coping and resilience is critical. Mindsets have gained attention as predictors of behavior and targets of intervention across contexts, including health. Health mindsets may help to explain how children with chronic pain interpret and respond to treatment. This study evaluated whether growth health mindsets might relate to adaptive outcomes in patients with chronic pediatric headache. METHODS: Participants were 88 children and adolescents (ages 10-17 years) with headache or migraine contacted following an appointment at a pediatric headache clinic, and their parent. Patients rated their beliefs about health as more fixed versus growth-oriented. They were presented with vignettes depicting hypothetical treatment setbacks and instructed to reflect upon real-life setbacks. Patients completed questionnaires about their cognitive appraisals of setbacks, coping, quality of life, life satisfaction, and functional impairment. RESULTS: The higher children rated their growth health mindsets, the less likely they were to appraise setbacks as threatening and endorse quality-of-life problems. Children with higher growth mindsets reported higher life satisfaction and lower functional disability. There was also an indirect relation between children's mindsets and coping through cognitive appraisals of setbacks as a threat, but not challenge. CONCLUSION: This research extends the health mindsets literature by contributing preliminary evidence of health mindsets as tied to adaptive outcomes in youth with chronic headache. These findings may be of interest to clinicians and parents, as health mindsets may offer an avenue by which resilience is promoted and maladaptive appraisals are minimized.

Determinants of pain interference and headache impact in patients who have chronic migraine with medication overuse: Results from the MOTS trial.

OBJECTIVE: "Pain interference" and "headache impact" refer to negative consequences that pain and headache have on one's life. This study investigated determinants of these negative impacts in a large patient cohort who have chronic migraine with medication overuse. METHODS: Six hundred and eleven adults were enrolled from 34 headache, neurology, and primary care clinics. Negative consequences of chronic migraine with medication overuse were determined using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference 6b questionnaire and the Headache Impact Test 6. Relationships between PROMIS-6b and Headache Impact Test 6 scores with demographics, headache characteristics, medication use, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms were assessed with linear regression. Elastic Net regression was used to develop a multiple regression model. RESULTS: PROMIS-6b T-Scores averaged 65.2 (SD 5.4) and Headache Impact Test 6 scores averaged 65.0 (SD 5.3), indicating severe negative consequences of chronic migraine with medication overuse. Chronic migraine with medication overuse interfered with enjoyment of life, concentration, daily activities, doing tasks away from home, and socializing. Depression symptom severity had the strongest relationship with pain interference and headache impact. Moderate-to-severe headache frequency, headache intensity, and anxiety symptoms were also associated with pain interference and headache impact. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic migraine with medication overuse is associated with substantial negative consequences, the extent of which is most strongly related to depression symptoms.

Sick of news? Television news exposure, collective stressful events and headache related emergency department visits.

Stress is a well-known trigger for primary headache yet its impact is difficult to demonstrate in large epidemiological studies. Israeli national TV news is often referred to as the "tribal fire", as many Israelis watch national news coverage following terror attacks or military operations. We examined the association between exposure to television news and their content with headache related Emergency Department visits. This retrospective cohort study included data on daily Emergency Department visits with a chief complaint of headache in Soroka University Medical Center, during 2002-2012. Data on daily television news viewership ratings were obtained from the Israeli Audience Research Board and its content from Channel 2 headlines, the highest rated TV news program. To estimate the short-term effects of news rating during the evening news on the number of daily headache visits, we applied generalized linear mixed models. 16,693 Emergency Department visits were included in the analysis. An increase in five units of daily rating percentages was associated with increase in Emergency Department visits the following day, relative risk (RR) = 1.032, (95% CI 1.014-1.050). This association increased with the age of the patients; RR = 1.119, (95% CI 1.075-1.65) for older than 60-year-old, RR = 1.044 (95% CI 1.010-1.078) for ages 40-60 and RR = 1.000 (95% CI 0.977-1.023) for younger than 40-year-old. We did not find a specific content associated with ED visit for headache. Higher television news ratings were associated with increased incidence of Emergency Department headache related visits. We assume that especially among older persons, news viewership ratings provide an indirect estimate of collective stress, which acts as a headache trigger for susceptible subjects.

Persistent neurologic symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in non-hospitalized Covid-19 "long haulers".

OBJECTIVE: Most SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals never require hospitalization. However, some develop prolonged symptoms. We sought to characterize the spectrum of neurologic manifestations in non-hospitalized Covid-19 "long haulers". METHODS: This is a prospective study of the first 100 consecutive patients (50 SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-positive (SARS-CoV-2+ ) and 50 laboratory-negative (SARS-CoV-2- ) individuals) presenting to our Neuro-Covid-19 clinic between May and November 2020. Due to early pandemic testing limitations, patients were included if they met Infectious Diseases Society of America symptoms of Covid-19, were never hospitalized for pneumonia or hypoxemia, and had neurologic symptoms lasting over 6 weeks. We recorded the frequency of neurologic symptoms and analyzed patient-reported quality of life measures and standardized cognitive assessments. RESULTS: Mean age was 43.2 ± 11.3 years, 70% were female, and 48% were evaluated in televisits. The most frequent comorbidities were depression/anxiety (42%) and autoimmune disease (16%). The main neurologic manifestations were: "brain fog" (81%), headache (68%), numbness/tingling (60%), dysgeusia (59%), anosmia (55%), and myalgias (55%), with only anosmia being more frequent in SARS-CoV-2+ than SARS-CoV-2- patients (37/50 [74%] vs. 18/50 [36%]; p < 0.001). Moreover, 85% also experienced fatigue. There was no correlation between time from disease onset and subjective impression of recovery. Both groups exhibited impaired quality of life in cognitive and fatigue domains. SARS-CoV-2+ patients performed worse in attention and working memory cognitive tasks compared to a demographic-matched US population (T-score 41.5 [37, 48.25] and 43 [37.5, 48.75], respectively; both p < 0.01). INTERPRETATION: Non-hospitalized Covid-19 "long haulers" experience prominent and persistent "brain fog" and fatigue that affect their cognition and quality of life.

The effects of preoperative reactions of emotional distress on headache and acute low back pain after spinal anesthesia: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To address the effect of preoperative symptoms of depression and anxiety on headache and low back pain after spinal anesthesia. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study included 370 patients who underwent spinal anesthesia before elective surgeries at a university hospital. The patients were evaluated in terms of symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Scale) while in their wards. The patients were evaluated via telephone calls for headache and low back pain after the operation. RESULTS: Eighty-two (82/362) (23%) patients were determined as having headache and 28 (28/362) (7.8%) were determined as having low back pain. There was a significant association between preoperative depression scores and anxiety scores and VAS scores of headache (respectively, eta-squared = 0.19, p < .001; eta-squared = 0.14, p < .001). There was a significant association between preoperative depression scores and anxiety scores and VAS scores of low back pain (respectively, eta-squared = 0.02, p = .08; eta-squared = 0.03, p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative symptoms of anxiety and symptoms of depression affect headache after spinal anesthesia. Preoperative symptoms of depression affect acute low back pain after spinal anesthesia. This trial was also registered at http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. (Protocol Registration Receipt NCT03427372).

Effect of Collaborative Care on Persistent Postconcussive Symptoms in Adolescents: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite the high level of impairment for adolescents with persistent postconcussive symptoms, few studies have tested whether such problems can be remediated. Objective: To examine whether collaborative care treatment is associated with improvements in postconcussive, quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms over 1 year, compared with usual care. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Collaborative Care Model for Treatment of Persistent Symptoms After Concussion Among Youth II Trial was a randomized clinical trial conducted from March 2017 to May 2020 with follow-up assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months. Participants were recruited from pediatric primary care, sports medicine, neurology, and rehabilitation clinics in western Washington. Adolescents aged 11 to 18 years with a diagnosed sports-related or recreational-related concussion within the past 9 months and with at least 3 symptoms persisting at least 1 month after injury were eligible. Data analysis was performed from June to September 2020. Interventions: The collaborative care intervention included cognitive behavioral therapy and care management, delivered mostly through telehealth, throughout the 6-month treatment period, with enhanced medication consultation when warranted. The comparator group was usual care provided in specialty clinics. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were adolescents' reports of postconcussive, quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes were parent-reported symptoms. Results: Of the 390 eligible adolescents, 201 (51.5%) agreed to participate, and 200 were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 14.7 [1.7] years; 124 girls [62.0%]), with 96% to 98% 3- to 12-month retention. Ninety-nine participants were randomized to usual care, and 101 were randomized to collaborative care. Adolescents who received collaborative care reported significant improvements in Health Behavior Inventory scores compared with usual care at 3 months (3.4 point decrease; 95% CI, -6.6 to -0.1 point decrease) and 12 months (4.1 point decrease; 95% CI, -7.7 to -0.4 point decrease). In addition, youth-reported Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scores at 12 months improved by a mean of 4.7 points (95% CI, 0.05 to 9.3 points) in the intervention group compared with the control group. No differences emerged by group over time for adolescent depressive or anxiety symptoms or for parent-reported outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance: Although both groups improved over time, youth receiving the collaborative care intervention had fewer symptoms and better quality of life over 1 year. Intervention delivery through telehealth broadens the reach of this treatment. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03034720.