Correlation Between Interest in COVID-19 Hair Loss and COVID-19 Surges: Analysis of Google Trends
February 2022
TLDR Interest in COVID-19 hair loss increased during COVID-19 surges, especially in higher-income countries.
The study analyzed Google Trends data to assess public interest in "COVID hair loss" and "Telogen Effluvium" from January 2020 to January 2022, finding a significant increase in search volume over time, particularly during COVID-19 surges. The relative search volume for "COVID hair loss" peaked during the omicron variant surge in January 2022, showing a 14% increase from the initial COVID-19 surge in mid-2020 and an 82% increase from the delta variant surge in mid-2021. A significant correlation (r=0.59, P<.001) was found between weekly search volume and new COVID-19 cases. Interest was higher in higher-income countries, but some lower-income countries like the Philippines and Pakistan also showed significant interest. The findings suggest a perceived link between COVID-19 and hair loss, with dermatologists likely to address this in clinical practice during COVID-19 surges.
