But these days, many of us are wondering: Is headache one of the coronavirus symptoms?
Remember: Headaches are unfortunately common, including very painful ones.
If you getfrequent headaches, it might be tension headaches.
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And then, of course, there aremigraines.Migraines are more than just a headachetheyre actually a chronicneurological disease.
Sinus headaches are another common headache.
Most true sinus headaches are triggered by sinus infection, so it typically occurs with other sinus-related symptoms.
Antibiotics can clear up bacterial sinus infections; viral sinus infections usually resolve themselves in a few days.
Some people call them suicide headaches.
Not unlike that sparked by a global pandemic.
Viruses are known to cause headaches.
Any cold, any upper respiratory infection can give you a headache, Dr. Mauskop says.
And yes, some coronavirus patients are presenting with headaches.
Based on data so far, headaches dont appear to be as common as other symptoms.
Shortness of breath, a symptom of more severe cases, was present in 18.6% of patients.
Obviously, a lot has changed since February 20 and will continue to change.
If you dont think to ask for headaches, maybe you wont find it, Dr. Fang says.
This is a relatively small sample size, and the patients were all mild cases.
Before we thought to look for it, we were probably missing it, Dr. Fang says.
Clearly we dont know everything were going to know about this virus.
So, yes, headaches can be a symptom of COVID-19.
When we remember to ask about headache, we do often find that its present, Dr. Fang says.
Yes, you could, she explains.
Another challenge is that headaches are common, period.
But headache alone isnt likely to give you enough information.
Treat your headache like normal if you dont have other coronavirus symptoms.
At this point, theWHOsays it does not recommend against ibuprofen.
But in a pandemic, theres really no time for that, Dr. Fang says.
Both Dr. Fang and Dr. Mauskop said theyve recommended playing it safe and choosing an alternative in some instances.
If you have a cough and fever, maybe its worth staying away and taking [acetaminophen] instead.
There are some instances where its important to talk with your doctor right away if you have a headache.
Telehealth options are your best bet right now.
A lot of the evaluation for headaches is the history.
Lastly, to be on the safe side, a headache outside of your norm should be monitored.
If theres something different or unusual about your headache, keep checking your temperature regularly, Dr. Mauskop adds.
