Post-SARS-CoV-2 Acute Telogen Effluvium: An Expected Complication

February 2022 in “ Journal of Clinical Medicine ”

Paola Monari, Giulio Gualdi, Giorgio Bettoni, Raffaella Costa, G Ragni, F. Zani, G. Bianchi, Silvia Casella, E. Casella, Massimo P. Crippa, Piergiacomo Calzavara Pinton, Marta Di Nicola, Annamaria Porreca, Paolo Amerio, Pierangelo Guizzi

telogen effluvium alopecia SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 hair loss temporary hair loss

Studysummary This study found that a notable percentage of COVID-19 patients experienced post-infection telogen effluvium, although no significant associations with infection-related factors were identified.

Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer

The hospital-based, cross-sectional study "Post-SARS-CoV-2 Acute Telogen Effluvium: An Expected Complication" found that 31.3% of patients discharged with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia experienced alopecia, with a significant gender difference (females 73%, males 26.7%). The average time from the onset of the first symptoms to alopecia was 68.43 days. However, there were no significant associations between alopecia and COVID-19-related features, treatment characteristics, or laboratory findings. The study concludes that post-infection acute telogen effluvium, a type of temporary hair loss, occurs in a significant number of COVID-19 patients, potentially impacting their quality of life. This condition is a foreseeable complication directly related to the disease, and not associated with the severity of infection, treatments, or nutritional deficiencies.

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This study suggests that COVID-19 infection may trigger telogen effluvium, a condition of hair shedding, though medication side effects and pandemic-related stress cannot be excluded as contributing factors.

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14 citations , December 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This study observed a significant increase in telogen effluvium cases among people of color during the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC, notably affecting Hispanic/Latinx individuals.

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40 citations , May 2020 in “Cureus”

This review discusses the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of telogen effluvium and reports no new clinical findings; the authors underscore the importance of identifying and eliminating causative factors.

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119 citations , May 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This study observed a high prevalence of androgenetic alopecia in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, with 79% of men and 42% of women affected, suggesting a potential link between androgen sensitivity and COVID-19 severity.

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This study found that dengue virus infection caused inflammation and cell death in human hair-follicle dermal papilla cells, which may contribute to increased hair shedding observed during the epidemic in Taiwan.

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This review proposes a new classification for telogen effluvium, identifying three pathogenetic types with a common feature of profuse hair shedding, but reports no new clinical results.

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5 citations , April 2002 in “The American Journal of Medicine”

Hair loss can be an early sign of HIV infection.

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This article proposes five mechanisms for telogen effluvium based on changes in the follicular cycle, which are supported by clinical findings, highlighting the condition's diverse causes.

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This article proposes five different mechanisms for telogen effluvium, supported by clinical findings, based on changes in different phases of the hair cycle.

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209 citations , March 1989 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

This study found that recombinant human leukocyte interferon alfa-2a achieved a 64% overall antitumor response rate in patients with early and advanced cutaneous T cell lymphoma and was generally well-tolerated.