A Case of Acute Telogen Effluvium After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Three years ago, a case study was reported of a 38-year-old woman who experienced acute telogen effluvium (ATE), a condition characterized by sudden and temporary hair loss, after recovering from COVID-19. The patient presented with severe hair loss (>150 hairs/day), oily scalp, and trichodynia (scalp pain). After 3 months of treatment with topical 5% minoxidil and selenium sulfide lotion, her hair loss significantly alleviated and new hairs grew out. The study suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a trigger for ATE. Other studies cited in the report found a high prevalence of alopecia (48.5%) among COVID-19 survivors in Wuhan, China, and a significant increase in ATE cases during the pandemic. However, the exact mechanism linking COVID-19 and telogen effluvium remained unclear.