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Space Headaches Common Among Astronauts

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 June 2009, 09:45 CDT

In a new study, researchers found that more than two-thirds of astronauts surveyed reported having headaches in space that were unrelated to space motion sickness.

Dutch researchers surveyed 17 astronauts and found that those who reported headaches in space said they did not suffer from headaches back on earth, which suggested that the environment of space itself could be linked to headaches.

Experts have previously attributed the headaches experienced by astronauts as a part of their overall motion sickness, but researchers writing in the journal Cephalagia say their findings support the designation of an entirely new category for space headaches.

"Our research shows that space flights may trigger headaches without other space motion sickness symptoms in otherwise super healthy subjects" says lead researcher Dr Alla Vein from Professor Michel Ferrari's Headache Research team at the Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.

"We propose to classify space headache as a separate entity among the secondary headaches attributed to disorders of homeostasis, which is the maintenance of a constant internal environment within the body."

Astronauts involved in the study included one female and 16 males, ranging in age from 28 to 58. They were asked to provide anonymous feedback on headaches experienced during four specific time frames - launch, the stay at the space station, activities outside the space station and landing.

Researchers found that 12 of the 17 astronauts – 71 percent – admitted to having 21 headache episodes during their missions, nine during launch, nine during the stay at the space station, one during activities outside the space station and two during landing.

None of those admitting to headaches in space said they had history of recurrent headaches on earth.

Headache severity ranged from mild to severe, with 29 percent reporting mild intensity, 65 percent reporting moderate intensity and six per cent reporting severe intensity.

Of those who reported headaches, 77 percent described them as “exploding,” and, or, “heavy feeling”, researchers reported.

"Although headaches in space are not generally considered to be a major issue, our study demonstrated that disabling headaches frequently occur during space missions in astronauts who do not normally suffer from headaches on earth" said Dr Vein.

"Previous research has shown that astronauts can be reluctant to reveal all the physical complaints they experience in space, so the actual incidence could be even higher than our study suggests."

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On the Net:

• Cephalalgia
• Leiden University Medical Center

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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