THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON VARIOUS STRESS FACTORS AND ITS CORRELATION WITH HAIR FALL: AN ONLINE-BASED SURVEY AMONG BANGLADESHI RESIDENTS

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered several stress factors throughout the entire world. Some stress factors, such as mental, economical, educational etc., have created consequences like hair fall, as seen in individuals in many countries, including Bangladesh. The present study was designed to investigate the covid-19-induced stress factors and their relation with hair loss in the people of Bangladesh. Methods: An online-based survey study was carried out using a self-made questionnaire, and quantitative data were analyzed by a cross-sectional analysis over the period of two months from November 25, 2020, to January 24, 2021. Participants who were willing to participate into this survey were considered as study individuals. This survey was conducted among participants with age’s ≥18 y. The participants were selected by snowball sampling technique, and the final collected sample size was 808. Results: Among 808 participants, males and females were 50.3% (406) and 49.7% (402), respectively. We found that 5% (37) participants were infected with Covid-19, 89% (715) were not infected, and 7% (56) were unknown. It is found that COVID-19-induced stress conditions including educational 28%, mental 25%, and economical 20% were found in 81% (655) participants and rendered 68% (550) people facing the hair fall problem due to COVID-19-related stress. Female individuals who were more stressed were 74.6% (300) and had hair fall, whereas males were 38.7% (157). In addition, the increased rate of hair fall in COVID-19 is associated with other factors, such as eating disorders and scalp infections, as reported by some respondents. Conclusion: In pandemic situations, most of the people (81%) passed through the stressful condition, and the females experienced more hair fall problems than male one. High blood pressure, eating disorder and irregular sleep pattern are considered stress-induced factors that were responsible for increased hair loss.