Czech T, Sugihara S, Nishimura Y. Characteristics of Hair Loss after COVID-19: Systematic Scoping Review.
J Cosmet Dermatol 2022;
21:3655-3662. [PMID:
35801366 PMCID:
PMC9349634 DOI:
10.1111/jocd.15218]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
While there are literature reporting increased incidence of hair loss in COVID-19 patients, insufficient evidence exists on the topic to date. This review aims to identify the existing evidence and clinical characteristics of hair loss with COVID-19 infection. Following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for all peer-reviewed articles with relevant keywords including "Alopecia", "Telogen Effluvium (TE)" and "COVID-19" from their inception to November 20, 2021. A total of 26 articles, with 9 observational studies and 17 case reports or series (total of 58 cases) were included. Most studies dealt with TE. There were no clear trends between COVID-19 severity and the extent of hair loss. Analysis of the 58 cases also found similar results with most of the cases being female (82.8%), the median onset of hair loss of 2.0 months, and the median time to recovery of hair loss of 5.0 months with a resolution rate of 95%. While this systematic review revealed uncertainty and a lack of strong evidence regarding the association of COVID-19 and hair loss, hair loss in COVID-19 may mainly include TE and be reversible in nature. Future studies are warranted to determine the detailed pathophysiology and risk factors of hair loss in COVID-19, including possible roles of estrogen, progesterone, and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Collapse