Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Migraine Patients in Latin America

Maria Teresa Reyes-Alvarez, Ernesto Bancalari, Angel Daniel Santana Vargas, Karina Velez, Ildefonso Rodríguez-Leyva, Alejandro Marfil, Silvina Miranda and Jonathan Adrián Zegarra-Valdivia ()
Additional contact information
Maria Teresa Reyes-Alvarez: SANNA/Clínica Sanchez Ferrer, Trujillo 13009, Peru
Ernesto Bancalari: Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Católica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, Chiclayo 14012, Peru
Angel Daniel Santana Vargas: Research Department, General Hospital of Mexico “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Karina Velez: Hospital Angeles Interlomas, Mexico City 52763, Mexico
Ildefonso Rodríguez-Leyva: Hospital Central, Facultad de Medicina UASLP, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico
Alejandro Marfil: Neurology Service, University Hospital Dr. J. E. González, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Monterrey 64300, Mexico
Silvina Miranda: Instituto Central de Medicina, La Plata B1902, Argentina
Jonathan Adrián Zegarra-Valdivia: Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Señor de Sipán, Chiclayo 14000, Peru

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-10

Abstract: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, confinement, fear, lifestyle changes, and worldwide health care impacted almost all diseases. Reports from countries outside Latin America revealed differences in migraine patients. In this study, we describe and compare the immediate changes in migraine symptoms associated with COVID-19 quarantine in patients from Argentina, Mexico, and Peru. An online survey was conducted from May to July 2020. The survey was answered by 243 migraine patients, with questions related to sociodemographic data, quarantine conditions, changes in working conditions, physical activity, coffee intake, healthcare access, acute migraine medication use, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and fear of COVID-19. The results show that 48.6% of migraine patients experienced worsened symptoms, 15.6% improved, and 35.8% remained unchanged. Worsening migraine symptoms were associated with staying at home during the lockdown. Intake of analgesics was associated with an increase in migraine symptoms of 18 times relative to those who did not increase their intake. Migraine symptoms improved when the number of sleep hours was increased, and we observed an improvement when patients decreased analgesic intake. The uncertainty about the end of the pandemic, the news, and social media are three items that contributed to the worsening of migraine symptoms in patients in the three investigated countries. Confinement during the first pandemic wave in Latin America harmed migraine patients who stayed home during the lockdown.

Keywords: COVID-19; migraine; pandemic; lockdown (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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