The Association Between Hair Loss and COVID-19: Impact on Quality of Life in Saudi Arabia

    October 2022 in “ Cureus ”
    Salim Alkeraye, Anwar Alrashidi, Noura S Alotaibi, Norah Almajli, Bashayr Alkhalifah, Norah Bajunaid, Raghad Alharthi, Tuqa Morad Alkaff, Koloud Ateeq Alharbi
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    TLDR Over half of the participants in a Saudi Arabian survey experienced hair loss after COVID-19, affecting women and younger people more, with a small percentage feeling a severe impact on their lives.
    A study conducted in Saudi Arabia from September to December 2021 with 806 participants found that 52.7% experienced hair loss, known as Acute telogen effluvium (TE), after COVID-19 infection. This condition typically occurs three months after a stressful event and can last up to six months. Factors significantly associated with TE included age, gender, high temperature during infection, and a history of hair loss prior to infection. Hair shedding was more common in women (75.5%) than men (54.6%) and was significantly associated with younger age groups, with 49.6% of those with hair loss being 15-25 years old. While 91.4% of participants did not have severe life affection due to hair loss, 8.6% had their lives severely affected. The study suggests that physicians should be aware of the relationship between COVID-19 infection and hair loss to improve patient health outcomes and their medical care.
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