Dermoscopy-assisted prevalence of hair loss after COVID-19 vaccination among an Egyptian population: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstact Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) currently named SARS-CoV-2 is a contagious disease caused by a coronavirus; incompatible data are present on the possible relationship among COVID-19 vaccines and hair loss. Aims The objective of the current study was to assess dermoscopically the prevalence of hair loss among an Egyptian population following COVID-19 vaccination. Methods A total of 2000 participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Adult males and females who received one of recognized COVID-19 vaccine were included, irrespective of the status of previous COVID-19 infection. Those who were aged less than 18 years or above 60 years were excluded. Furthermore, subjects self-reporting hair loss were assessed by dermoscopy. Results Among the studied cases, n = 478 (23.9%) complained of hair loss following vaccination. The majority of cases noticed their hair loss during the first 2 months post-vaccination (n = 215 after the first month and n = 158 after the 2nd month respectively). Conclusion We reported prevalence of post-vaccination hair fall that was confirmed by trichoscopy and which affected approximately one quarter of participants who received COVID-19 vaccines. Other factors, such as stress and infection, cannot be excluded and remain to be further investigated by larger multicenter studies.

Hair disorders associated with post-COVID-19 infection in females: a cross-sectional study

“…Moreover, perifollicular inflammation manifested by the accumulation of activated macrophages and mast cell degranulation in the context of psychological stress as well as the ischemia and vascular decompensation caused by the hypercoagulability state and microthrombus formation were described as major culprits in inducing hair loss [ 18 ]. Moreover, a recent study reported an increased incidence of hair shedding following COVID-19 vaccinations [ 19 ].…”