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.