Background: The cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 may be useful disease markers and prognostic indicators. Recently, postinfectious telogen effluvium and trichodynia have also been reported.
Objective: To evaluate the presence of trichodynia and telogen effluvium in patients with COVID-19 and describe their characteristics in relation to the other signs and symptoms of the disease.
Methods: Patients with a history of COVID-19 presenting to the clinics of a group of hair experts because of telogen effluvium and/or scalp symptoms were questioned about their hair signs and symptoms in relation to the severity of COVID-19 and associated symptoms.
Results: Data from 128 patients were collected. Telogen effluvium was observed in 66.3% of the patients and trichodynia in 58.4%. Trichodynia was associated with telogen effluvium in 42.4% of the cases and anosmia and ageusia in 66.1% and 44.1% of the cases, respectively. In majority (62.5%) of the patients, the hair signs and symptoms started within the first month after COVID-19 diagnosis, and in 47.8% of the patients, these started after 12 weeks or more.
Limitations: The recruitment of patients in specialized hair clinics, lack of a control group, and lack of recording of patient comorbidities.
Conclusion: The severity of postviral telogen effluvium observed in patients with a history of COVID-19 infection may be influenced by COVID-19 severity. We identified early-onset (<4 weeks) and late-onset (>12 weeks) telogen effluvium.
Keywords: COVID-19; OR, odds ratios; SARS-CoV-2; TE, telogen effluvium; TR, trichodynia; hair loss; hair shedding; multicentric study; scalp allodynia; telogen effluvium; trichodynia.
© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc on behalf of the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc.