Is There a Connection between Brain Fog and Head Pressure?

Reviewed by Suo Lee, MD

Internal Medicine

Some studies suggest that brain fog (trouble thinking clearly) and head pressure (often described as headache) might be connected, especially in people recovering from illnesses like COVID-19 and other conditions with shared symptoms.

Explanation

Researchers have noticed that many people who experience brain fog also report feeling head pressure. Studies looking at patients who recovered from COVID-19 found that both headache and difficulty thinking clearly sometimes occur together. This means that changes in parts of the nervous system could be linked to both symptoms. Conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome may also have similar physical symptoms of both head pressure and brain fog. Scientists believe that inflammation or even shifts in blood flow might be factors connecting these issues. Although we do not yet fully understand the exact cause, the shared experiences of these symptoms suggest that they might be two sides of the same coin. More research is needed to understand the exact connection, but knowing that these symptoms often come together can help doctors think about ways to treat them as part of a bigger picture.

(References)

Taskiran-Sag A, Eroglu E, Ozulken K, Canlar S, Poyraz BM, Sekerlisoy MB, Mumcuoglu T. Headache and cognitive disturbance correlate with ganglion cell layer thickness in patients who recovered from COVID-19. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2022 Jun;217:107263. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2022.107263. Epub 2022 Apr 26. PMID: 35525105; PMCID: PMC9040445.
Di Stadio A, Brenner MJ, De Luca P, Albanese M, D'Ascanio L, Ralli M, Roccamatisi D, Cingolani C, Vitelli F, Camaioni A, Di Girolamo S, Bernitsas E. Olfactory Dysfunction, Headache, and Mental Clouding in Adults with Long-COVID-19: What Is the Link between Cognition and Olfaction? A Cross-Sectional Study. Brain Sci. 2022 Jan 24;12(2):154. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12020154. PMID: 35203918; PMCID: PMC8870047.
Hulens M, Rasschaert R, Vansant G, Stalmans I, Bruyninckx F, Dankaerts W. The link between idiopathic intracranial hypertension, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome: exploration of a shared pathophysiology. J Pain Res. 2018 Dec 10;11:3129-3140. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S186878. PMID: 30573989; PMCID: PMC6292399.
Krishnan K, Lin Y, Prewitt KM, Potter DA. Multidisciplinary Approach to Brain Fog and Related Persisting Symptoms Post COVID-19. J Health Serv Psychol. 2022;48(1):31-38. doi: 10.1007/s42843-022-00056-7. Epub 2022 Feb 2. PMID: 35128461; PMCID: PMC8809226.

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