Cephalgia/headache
Early reports out of Wuhan described headache and decreased responsiveness of patients as an early indicator of potential neurologic involvement associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection [103]. Headaches have been reported in 11% to 34% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients [104]. Among COVID-19 patients who developed symptoms, the incidence of headache is 6% to 10% and headache was often among the presenting symptoms [104]. Initial reports of the so-called ‘COVID-19 headache’ describe bilateral cephalgia characterized by pulsating pain in the temporoparietal region, forehead, or periorbital region. Such headaches were limited to active periods of the COVID-19 infection and resisted conventional analgesia [104]. While it is plausible that these headaches relate to the viral invasion, they may also be a byproduct of cytokine storm or have some other etiology [105].