Podcast 597: Weather Can be a Headache

Contributor: Sam Killian, MD

Educational Pearls:

• One study found that patients presented with headaches more frequently when there was high temperatures and low humidity, while higher humidity is correlated to lower incidence of headache. Moon phases had no effect on headache frequency.
• A Canadian study looking at over 100,000 ED visits for headaches found increased incidence of headaches when there were higher levels of air pollution/particulates, like smoke.

References

Yilmaz M, Gurger M, Atescelik M, Yildiz M, Gurbuz S. Meteorologic parameters and migraine headache: ED study. Am J Emerg Med. 2015;33(3):409-413. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2014.12.056

Szyszkowicz M, Stieb DM, Rowe BH. Air pollution and daily ED visits for migraine and headache in Edmonton, Canada. Am J Emerg Med. 2009;27(4):391-396. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2008.03.013

Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD