COVID-19 may trigger hair, nail disorders

Hair and nail disorders may occur following contraction of COVID-19 infection, with the development of the dermatological conditions related to a history of severe infection, a study has found.

The multicentre study included 2,171 consecutive patients who had been infected with COVID-19. Patients who developed hair and nail disorders served as cases and those who did not served as controls. Researchers recorded the type and frequency of hair and nail disorders.

Compared with controls, patients who developed hair loss post-COVID-19 were more likely to have been admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19 (p<0.001). The most common type of hair loss was telogen effluvium (85 percent), followed by worsening of androgenetic alopecia (7 percent).

Among patients who developed hair loss, the mean stress scores during and after COVID-19 infection were 6.88 and 3.64, respectively. The corresponding scores in the control group were lower at 5.77 and 2.81 (p<0.001 for both).

Notably, men with severe androgenetic alopecia (Grades 4–7 HNS) had a significantly greater frequency of recurrent COVID-19 (odds ratio, 2.931, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.222–7.027; p=0.012).

In terms of nail disorders, leukonychia, onycholysis, Beau's lines, onychomadesis, and onychoschisis were the most common. Patients who developed nail disorders post-COVID-19 were more likely to have presented with symptoms during the infection as compared with controls (p<0.05).