Correlation Between Interest in COVID-19 Hair Loss and COVID-19 Surges: Analysis of Google Trends

The study analyzed Google Trends data to explore the correlation between public interest in COVID-19-related hair loss and COVID-19 surges. It found that the relative search volume (RSV) for "COVID hair loss" increased significantly over time, peaking during the omicron variant surge in January 2022. The interest in "COVID hair loss" was 14% higher than during the initial COVID-19 surge and 82% higher than during the delta variant surge. The study revealed a significant association between weekly RSV for "COVID hair loss" and new COVID-19 cases (r=0.59, P<.001). Higher-income countries showed more interest, but some lower-income countries also demonstrated significant interest, indicating a global concern. The findings suggested that the public perceived a link between hair loss and COVID-19, although the exact reasons for increased search interest remained uncertain.