A systematic review of acute telogen effluvium, a harrowing post-COVID-19 manifestation

21, December 2021 |

Authors:

Abstract

This systematic review focuses on the clinical features, physical examination findings, outcomes, and underlying pathology of acute telogen effluvium (TE), a type of diffuse hair loss, occurring in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) recovered patients. MEDLINE/ PubMed and Embase databases were queried till October 2021 to identify studies reporting acute TE occurring after COVID‐19 recovery. Data were obtained from 19 studies, which included 465 patients who were diagnosed with acute TE. The median age of these patients was 44 years and 67.5% were females. The most common trichoscopic findings were decreased hair density, the presence of empty follicles, or short regrowing hair. The mean duration from COVID‐19 symptom onset to the appearance of acute TE was 74 days, which is earlier than classic acuteTE.Most patients recovered from hair loss, while a few patients had persistent hair fall. Our results highlight the need to consider the possibility of post‐COVID‐19 acute TE in patients presenting with hair fall, with a history of COVID‐19 infection, in the context of COVID‐19 pandemic. Despite being a selflimiting condition, hair loss post‐COVID‐19 is a stressful manifestation. Identifying COVID‐19 infection as a potential cause of acute TE will help the clinicians counsel the patients, relieving them from undue stress.