A Case of Extensive Alopecia Areata Following Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine with Favorable Outcome

January 2023 in “ Journal of Cutaneous Immunology and Allergy ”

Yoshihiro Matsuda, Yoshio Kawakami, Masaya Kawamoto, Yoji Hirai, Shin Morizane

TLDR A woman's hair mostly regrew after hair loss from the COVID-19 vaccine with treatment.

A 37-year-old woman developed extensive alopecia areata (AA) following the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Initially presenting with a low-grade fever and coin-sized hair loss, her condition worsened to widespread hair loss. Laboratory tests showed increased serum C-reactive protein and decreased white blood cells. Despite the progression of hair loss, her condition improved significantly with topical corticosteroid therapy, resulting in substantial hair regrowth by day +310, leaving only one bald patch. This case, along with a review of 17 similar cases, suggests that COVID-19 vaccine-related AA may recover favorably with minimal treatment.

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