Privacy and Security Risks of the Top mHealth Applications for Headache Disorders

Millions of consumers suffer from headache disorders that result in billions of dollars in lost productivity a year due to their inability to function and work normally during an episode. Headache disorders are often undiagnosed and undertreated, resulting in half of all sufferers not seeking medical attention. mHealth applications for headache disorders continue to gain popularity as consumers seek to better manage their disorder and reduce the frequency of their episodes by logging episodes, monitoring possible triggers, and managing their medication intake. Despite their advantages, mHealth applications for headache disorders may contain features that pose as a risk to the privacy and security of personal and medical data. This study involves a literature review and a comparative risk analysis of the top mHealth applications for headache disorders on the Android and iOS mobile platforms to determine what privacy and security risks exist within these applications and their severity. The results of this study can assist consumers in making better informed decisions when downloading and using these applications and can assist application developers in creating more secure mHealth applications for headache disorders.