Introduction: N95 respirator masks are a cornerstone in the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, its use has side effects such as headaches. The primary aim of this study is to identify factors that m...Introduction: N95 respirator masks are a cornerstone in the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, its use has side effects such as headaches. The primary aim of this study is to identify factors that may contribute to higher occurrences of headaches with wearing N95 masks. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across healthcare providers in operating theatres of a tertiary hospital based in Singapore involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. The study involved a self-administered online questionnaire completed by all participants. Results: 176 participants were included into the study, of which 65 (36.9%) reported headaches associated with wearing N95 masks. Out of the 65 participants who experienced headaches, 28 (43.1%) reported experiencing “mild” headache, 30 (46.2%) reported experiencing “moderate” headache, and 7 (10.7%) reported experiencing “severe” headache. 44 participants (67.7%) reported that the headache has affected their work, and 20 participants (30.8%) required analgesia to relieve the headaches. Other symptoms associated with N95 mask usage include skin damage (12.3%), breathlessness (15.4%), giddiness (6.2%), nausea (6.2%) and ear pain (3.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that participants younger than 32 years old (p = 0.001) and history of pre-existing headache disorders (p = 0.001) were associated with higher occurrences of headaches with wearing N95 masks. Conclusion: Our study showed that younger age and history of pre-existing headache disorders contribute to higher occurrences of headaches with N95 mask usage. These associations could be useful in identifying at-risk individuals so that precautions may be taken to reduce the occurrence of headaches when wearing N95 masks.展开更多
文摘Introduction: N95 respirator masks are a cornerstone in the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, its use has side effects such as headaches. The primary aim of this study is to identify factors that may contribute to higher occurrences of headaches with wearing N95 masks. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across healthcare providers in operating theatres of a tertiary hospital based in Singapore involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. The study involved a self-administered online questionnaire completed by all participants. Results: 176 participants were included into the study, of which 65 (36.9%) reported headaches associated with wearing N95 masks. Out of the 65 participants who experienced headaches, 28 (43.1%) reported experiencing “mild” headache, 30 (46.2%) reported experiencing “moderate” headache, and 7 (10.7%) reported experiencing “severe” headache. 44 participants (67.7%) reported that the headache has affected their work, and 20 participants (30.8%) required analgesia to relieve the headaches. Other symptoms associated with N95 mask usage include skin damage (12.3%), breathlessness (15.4%), giddiness (6.2%), nausea (6.2%) and ear pain (3.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that participants younger than 32 years old (p = 0.001) and history of pre-existing headache disorders (p = 0.001) were associated with higher occurrences of headaches with wearing N95 masks. Conclusion: Our study showed that younger age and history of pre-existing headache disorders contribute to higher occurrences of headaches with N95 mask usage. These associations could be useful in identifying at-risk individuals so that precautions may be taken to reduce the occurrence of headaches when wearing N95 masks.
