ANXIETY AND ASSOCIATION WITH COVID-19 VACCINATION-RELATED HEADACHE SYMPTOMS


ISSI Z., KILINÇEL O., KILIÇEL Ş., Goksel P., USTA M. B.

Acta Medica Nicomedia, vol.6, no.2, pp.269-275, 2023 (Peer-Reviewed Journal) identifier

Abstract

Objective: To prevent the pandemic, widespread vaccination work continues in Turkey. We aimed to determine the level of pain, headache, and anxiety among the neuropsychiatric symptoms after the vaccination was given to the healthcare workers. Methods: Healthcare workers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine were given a questionnaire through the internet after the second dose of the vaccination. A form consisting of 34 questionnaire questions about their demographic characteristics, whether they experienced pain or headache after vaccination and the Beck Anxiety scale was to be filled. Results: The data of 484 participants were examined in our study. 31.1% of the participants reported experiencing a headache after the vaccination. In the analysis using a single variable model, it was found that individuals with mild anxiety symptoms had a 2.6-fold increased risk of experiencing headaches. For those with moderate anxiety symptoms, the risk was 4.5 times higher, while individuals with severe anxiety symptoms faced a 7.2-fold increased risk. Additionally, the study observed that patients with a history of previous headaches had a 2-fold higher risk compared to those without such a history in the single variable model. Conclusion: We suggest that the assessment of anxiety levels during vaccination after COVID-19 vaccination can be an important indicator in predicting the development of headaches. Further studies on this will be important in optimizing vaccination programs and ensuring social immunity.