Case Report: Alopecia Areata in an Adolescent After COVID-19 Infection

This case report discusses an adolescent girl who developed alopecia areata (AA) shortly after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. She experienced patchy hair loss one week post-recovery, despite no family history of AA. Treatment with topical glucocorticoids and minoxidil resulted in significant hair regrowth after 6 months, although one patch of hair loss persisted. The report suggests that COVID-19 may trigger autoimmune conditions like AA through mechanisms such as molecular mimicry and immune dysregulation, highlighting the importance of clinical awareness of viral-induced AA as COVID-19 becomes more widespread.