The Effect of COVID-19 on Development of Hair and Nail Disorders: A Turkish Multicenter, Controlled Study

October 2022 in “ International Journal of Dermatology ”

Ömer Kutlu, Yuhanize Taş Demircan, Kenan Yıldız, Göknur Kalkan, Düriye Deniz Demirseren, İsa An, Muazzez Çiğdem Oba, Selma Emre, Engin Şenel, Serap Güneş Bilgili, Sevil Savaş Erdoğan, Aysun Şikar Aktürk, Dursun Türkmen, Seray Külcü Çakmak, Sevgi Kulaklı, Abdullah Demirbaş, Nihal Altunışık, Nur Cihan Coşansu, Güneş Gur Aksoy, Mustafa Tosun, Birgül Kurt, Nilgün Şentürk, Serpil Şener, Hatice Kaya Özden, Selami Aykut Temiz, Mehmet Atak, Hülya Süslü, İşıl Deniz Oğuz, Sevilay Kılıç, Eda Ustaoğlu, İlteriş Oğuz Topal, Tuğba Özkök Akbulut, I. Korkmaz, Arzu Kılıç, Pelin Hızlı, Özlem Su Küçük, Ceyda Çaytemel, Rabia Öztaş Kara, Mahmut Can Koska, Kübra Tatar, Bahar Sevimli Dikicier, Şenay Ağırgöl, Burak Akşan, Ayşe Serap Karadağ

COVID-19 hair loss Telogen effluvium androgenetic alopecia leukonychia onycholysis Beau's lines onychomadesis onychoschisis TE AGA

TLDR COVID-19 can cause hair and nail disorders after infection.

The multicenter study involving 2171 post-COVID-19 patients revealed that COVID-19 can trigger hair and nail disorders. The most prevalent type of hair loss was Telogen effluvium (85%), followed by a worsening of androgenetic alopecia (7%). Patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were more likely to experience hair loss (P < 0.001), and men with severe androgenetic alopecia were more likely to have recurrent COVID-19 (P = 0.012; Odds ratio: 2.931 [1.222–7.027]). The most common nail disorders included leukonychia, onycholysis, Beau's lines, onychomadesis, and onychoschisis. The study concluded that severe COVID-19 history seems to be linked to the development of both nail and hair disorders post-infection.

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