Effect of COVID-19 on Hair Diseases Observed by Health Care Providers: Analysis of 513 Participants

The study "Effect of COVID-19 on Hair Diseases Observed by Health Care Providers: Analysis of 513 participants" found a significant relationship between being diagnosed with COVID-19 and having at least one specific hair disease during the pandemic. The study also found a significant relationship between having a new-onset hair disease during the pandemic and being diagnosed with COVID-19. The most frequently observed new-onset hair disease was Telogen Effluvium (TE), with 25 out of 40 patients developing it. Of these 25 patients, 14 had been diagnosed with COVID-19. The study also found that 85.7% of the 161 participants who reported an increase in the severity of pre-existing hair disease or had new-onset hair disease during the pandemic believed that stress and anxiety contributed to these conditions. The study suggests that hair is vulnerable to the direct effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and indirect effects of the pandemic, such as psychosocial impacts and skin problems resulting from the use of personal protective equipment. The study has limitations, including that not all participants were diagnosed by a dermatologist and the severity of the hair disease was not directly evaluated by a physician using a score or scale.