Hair Loss- An all-new complication of COVID 19
Among a variety of other COVID 19 complications, one of the most shocking ones is hair loss. You may be wondering what may have been causing hair shedding in COVID 19 patients? Dermatologists and health care experts link hair loss with telogen effluvium a condition of temporary shedding of hair experienced by individuals, especially after a stressful event or trauma. Expert says in about 85 to 90% of patients, healthy hair grows in the anagen phase of growth of hair cycle. Otherwise, hair is in a resting phase or telogen phase. Normally, hair remains in the anagen phase for about two to four years, and then they shift to the telogen phase, where they tend to fall out and replaced by new ones. There is a medical condition called telogen effluvium; during this, more hair shifts into the resting phase, resulting in more shedding of hairs. Also, there are risk factors for this condition, and these include stress, physical trauma, extreme weight loss, major surgery, high fever, high fever, dietary changes, severe medical condition, hyperthyroidism, iron deficiency, hypothyroidism, sudden hormonal changes etc.
According to health experts and dermatologists, there has been a growing number of people reporting hair loss after recovering from COVID 19. However, hair loss is not surprising as a lot of people begin to lose hair a few months after getting sick or a stressful event. According to studies, people reported to lose hair in July, and they got the virus between April and May.
Usually, hair loss after a stressful life event is just a temporary one. And you may get rid of it once you recover from the trauma or the medical condition. Generally, health care experts recommend having proper nutrition which includes eating enough food containing iron and vitamin D. Sometimes; dermatologists may also advise taking hair loss supplements to restore hair health and reduce hair fall.
However, given the novel nature of the contagion, it is difficult to pinpoint one standalone reason for the hair loss. It can also be attributed to poor nutritional intake, owing to the messed up digestive system and loss of appetite in the patients. The virus also puts an immense amount of mental and physical stress on the body, which can again lead to a hair loss.