Hair Loss Adds to Post-COVID-19 Complications; What to Do to Address This Most Frequent Reported Syndrome?

Long COVID-19 sufferers are estimated to number in the millions throughout the world, and one doctor in New Delhi has warned that hair loss issues have roughly doubled. Hair loss is caused by post-inflammation and can continue up to three months, according to Shahin Nooreyezdan, consultant in cosmetic and plastic surgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi.

Stress, nutritional deficiency, and inflammatory responses produced by infectious illness are all factors that contribute to the rapid beginning of hair loss, known as Telogen effluvium, according to health experts. Usually, a person loses up to 100 hair each day, but Telogen Effluvium can cause this to grow to 300-400 hair per day.

New post-COVID-19 symptom: Hair loss

Hair loss is caused by a decrease in the number of hair follicles that actively develop hair in telogen effluvium (TE). This causes hair loss on the scalp, which can be partial or widespread, as per Express.co.

Hair loss can extend to other parts of the body, including the eyebrows, in the most severe cases of TE. Although hair loss is not listed on the NHS long COVID-19 symptom list, there has been an abundance of studies to show that it is a sign of long COVID-19 complication.

According to research published in January 2021 in the medical journal The Lancet, 22 percent of patients in Wuhan, where the virus initially appeared, had hair loss six months after being discharged from the hospital. Another online poll of 1,500 COVID-19 survivors earlier this year revealed that 27% of them had had hair loss somehow.

However, the syndrome, which appears 1-1.5 months after COVID-19, is just temporary and improves in 2-3 months with treatment. People must eat a balanced diet that includes natural food sources of vitamins and iron during their recovery from COVID-19.

An iron shortage can hasten hair loss; and eating a protein-rich, well-balanced diet can be a solution for minimizing temporary hair loss. The experts advised that people should avoid using heat and chemicals on their hair and avoid living a sedentary lifestyle in addition to eating healthily and taking nutritional supplements.

Temporary hair loss can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, stress, anxiety, sudden hormonal changes, fever during infection, and persistent post-COVID inflammatory reactions, according to doctors at Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, which has seen a 100 percent increase in complaints of hair loss among coronavirus patients.

Because the physical and mental stress that comes with a case of COVID-19 can lead to a reversible hair loss condition, many persons who have recovered from COVID-19 experience hair loss.

Dr.Kuldeep Singh, a senior consultant in cosmetology and plastic surgery, said, "It is a result of the shock the body sustains after suffering from fever and other symptoms during COVID-19." He stated that while a person might lose up to 100 hair per day in normal circumstances, Telogen Effluvium can cause them to lose 300-400 hair each day, ZeeNews via MSN reported.

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How to fight COVID-19 hair loss?

After recovering from COVID-19, the physicians advised that one should eat a healthy diet rich in natural vitamin and iron sources. An iron shortage can exacerbate hair loss, but hair fall can be reduced by eating a protein-rich, well-balanced diet.

People should see a doctor only if significant hair loss occurs after five to six weeks of eating a healthy diet. Per Money Control, the following are some typical hair care remedies that may be used to prevent excessive hair loss:

Shampoos that are free of parabens and sulfates should be used.
Keep an eye on the irritated and dry scalp.
Oiling and massaging the scalp are not recommended.
Use a comb with a wide-tooth.
if bald patches and a large amount of hair fall emerge, seek medical help right away.

According to the experts, one should avoid stress, start meditation, use natural nutritional supplements, eat healthily, refrain from heat and chemicals for hairstyling, and avoid leading a sedentary lifestyle. To counteract this temporary hair loss, obtaining a nutritional blood profile and correcting any deficiencies will help to reduce hair loss and speed recovery.