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Mobile Phone Use and The Risk of Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cross-sectional Studies

2017 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 2324

Systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 cross-sectional studies found higher odds of headache among mobile phone users versus non-users (pooled OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.18–1.61). Among users, longer daily call duration and higher daily call frequency were associate…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017
Study typemeta_analysis
Reported directionHarm
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Mobile Phone Use and The Risk of Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cross-sectional Studies Wang J, Su H1, Xie W, Yu S. Mobile Phone Use and The Risk of Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cross-sectional Studies. Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 3;7(1):12595. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-12802-9. Abstract Headache is increasingly being reported as a detrimental effect of mobile phone (MP) use. However, studies aimed to investigate the association between MP use and headache yielded conflicting results. To assess the consistency of the data on the topic, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available cross- sectional studies. Published literature from PubMed and other databases were retrieved and screened, and 7 cross-sectional studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. We found that the risk of headache was increased by 38% in MP user compared with non-MP user (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.18-1.61, p < 0.001). Among MP users, the risk of headache was also increased in those who had longer daily call duration (2-15 min vs. <2 min: OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.34-1.98, p < 0.001; >15 min vs. <2 min: OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.76-3.54, p < 0.001) and higher daily call frequency (2-4 calls vs. <2 calls: OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.07-1.76, p < 0.001; >4 calls vs. <2 calls: OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.78-3.58, p < 0.001). Our data indicate that MP use is significantly associated with headache, further epidemiologic and experimental studies are required to affirm and understand this association. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typemeta_analysis
Effect directionharm
PopulationNot supplied
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF · daily call duration and daily call frequency (categories reported)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 cross-sectional studies found higher odds of headache among mobile phone users versus non-users (pooled OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.18–1.61). Among users, longer daily call duration and higher daily call frequency were associated with higher odds of headache (e.g., >15 min vs <2 min OR 2.50; >4 calls vs <2 calls OR 2.52).

Outcomes measured

  • headache

Limitations

  • Included studies were cross-sectional (cannot establish temporality/causality).
  • Abstract notes prior studies had conflicting results.
  • Authors state further epidemiologic and experimental studies are required to affirm and understand the association.
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "meta_analysis",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "daily call duration and daily call frequency (categories reported)"
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "headache"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 cross-sectional studies found higher odds of headache among mobile phone users versus non-users (pooled OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.18–1.61). Among users, longer daily call duration and higher daily call frequency were associated with higher odds of headache (e.g., >15 min vs <2 min OR 2.50; >4 calls vs <2 calls OR 2.52).",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Included studies were cross-sectional (cannot establish temporality/causality).",
    "Abstract notes prior studies had conflicting results.",
    "Authors state further epidemiologic and experimental studies are required to affirm and understand the association."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "headache",
    "systematic review",
    "meta-analysis",
    "cross-sectional",
    "odds ratio",
    "call duration",
    "call frequency"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones-health",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Focuses on mobile phone use and a health outcome (headache) via systematic review/meta-analysis."
    }
  ]
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12802-9
PubMed: Not supplied

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