2026-10-14T12:56:07Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33980113 2026-09-24T06:10:34Z category_15 category_734 category_64 category_106 category_122 portal_87 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Airplane headache: a scoping review of mechanisms and reported therapeutic strategies Haqi Abdelkarim Omar (25102414) Dilara Onan (14826612) Marta Waliszewska-Prosół (11111145) Lanfranco Pellesi (4263160) Neuroscience Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Cancer Science Policy Mental Health Aeroplane travel barometric pressure migraine pain trigeminovascular system Airplane headache (AH) is a headache disorder recognized in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) and characterized by severe, short-lasting, fronto-orbital pain occurring during aircraft take-off or, more typically, landing. Despite growing clinical recognition, evidence regarding its epidemiology, pathophysiology and management remains fragmented across heterogeneous studies. This scoping review maps the current literature on AH based on structured searches in PubMed and Embase from inception to 30 April 2026. Thirty-three studies were included, collectively involving several hundred patients, predominantly case reports and small case series, with a small number of cross-sectional surveys and a single experimental study using a hypobaric chamber model. Findings were organized thematically. AH is best conceptualized as a disorder where a stereotyped barometric stimulus triggers a predisposed trigeminovascular system, although this interpretation remains speculative. Whether current diagnostic criteria are overly restrictive remains an open question and warrants formal validation. Therapeutic strategies, meanwhile, rely entirely on uncontrolled data. Randomized cross-over trials and mechanistic interpretation studies represent the most pressing priorities for future research. Some people get a sudden, severe headache during airplane flights, usually while landing, sometimes while taking off. This is called “airplane headache.” The pain is often on one side of the head, near the eye or forehead, feels sharp or stabbing, and usually goes away within 30 minutes. We reviewed all the published research on this condition to understand how common it is, why it happens and what treatments have been tried. We found 33 studies, mostly reports on small numbers of patients. How often airplane headache occurs varies a lot between studies, from about 1 in 500 travelers to about 1 in 7, depending on who was studied. The most likely explanation is that rapid air pressure changes during flight irritate nerves in the face and sinuses in people who are prone to headaches. Doctors currently do not have a single recommended treatment for this condition. The most commonly reported approach is taking an anti-inflammatory painkiller, such as naproxen, about an hour before the flight. Some people have also been helped by migraine medications, but this is based on very few patients. Airplane headache can cause real distress, including worry about future flights and, for some people, avoiding air travel altogether. Because it is often mistaken for a sinus or ear problem, it may be underdiagnosed. Larger, well-designed studies are needed to confirm the best way to prevent and treat this condition. 2026-09-24T06:10:34Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.33980113.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Airplane_headache_a_scoping_review_of_mechanisms_and_reported_therapeutic_strategies/33980113 CC BY 4.0