Personal Protective Equipment and Headaches: A Cross-sectional Study among Healthcare Professionals in A Military Hospital in Bangladesh.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals took various protective measures including personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, eyewear, and protective jumpsuits. These protective devices may pose certain health hazards, such as headaches.

Objectives: This study aims to find out the association between new-onset headaches (de novo) or exacerbation of preexisting headaches in military healthcare professionals using PPE.

Materials and methods: A total of 209 healthcare professionals participated in this cross-sectional observational study. Data were collected on headaches before and after using PPE through a self-administered questionnaire.

Results: Most participants were young with a mean age of 26.7 ± 5.6 years. The number of male participants was almost twice that of females (64.6%). de novo headache occurred in 88 participants (47.6%). Previous primary headaches were present in 24 patients, of whom 83.3% experienced exacerbation of primary headaches after using PPE. Doctors and nurses suffered from headaches significantly more than the other healthcare workers (P < 0.001). N95 mask usage was significantly associated with headaches (P < 0.001). In addition, the combination of masks, specifically surgical and N95 combination, was also associated with headaches (P = 0.019 and P < 0.001, respectively). Use of eye protection, irrespective of type was found to be associated with headaches (P < 0.05). Additional PPE, such as the protective jumpsuits, was also associated with headaches (P < 0.001). Our study did not find any significant association between headaches and the duration of hours of usage of masks or protective eyewear (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Masks, eye protective gear, and additional protective gown use are associated with new-onset headaches or exacerbation of previous headaches. These protective devices should be redesigned not compromising safety and to increase comfort and compliance.