Headache specialists are reporting an uptick of new or worsening symptoms among their patients — and the pandemic may be responsible, The Washington Post reports.
Experts link the increase to a number of pandemic-related factors, including increased stress levels, more screen time and disruptions to routine care access. Earlier closures caused some patients to miss routine treatments like Botox injections, which can lead to worsening symptoms.
"If you think of a pressure cooker, it's adding more steam to the pot," said Akhil Chhatre, MD, assistant professor of physical medicine, rehabilitation and neurosurgery at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Amaal Starling, MD, a headache specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., says she has changed treatment plans for at least 50 percent of patients with "significant worsening" of symptoms.
A shortage of headache specialists may also contribute to lack of care access.
"There's about 700 board-certified headache specialists in the nation, and there's 40-plus million people with migraine," Dr. Starling said. "The other issue has always been that headache clinics are primarily in big cities."