‘One in four’ Covid patients suffer hair loss, with women at greater risk

A quarter of Covid-19 patients suffered hair loss in the six months after contracting the virus, according to a new study, with women at greater risk.

Research conducted in Wuhan, China found that 359 coronavirus patients out of 1,655 experienced hair loss.

The researchers said: “The aim of this study was to describe the long-term health consequences of patients with Covid-19 who have been discharged from hospital.

“To our knowledge, this is the largest cohort study with the longest follow-up duration assessing the health consequences of adult patients discharged from hospital recovering from Covid-19.”

Other post-viral symptoms present after six months include fatigue, sleep issues and mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

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Published in The Lancet, the study reported 76 per cent of the patients had long-term health issues. With women, this was more likely to be the case.

Inspiration for the study came from Dr Natalie Lambert’s Indiana University School of Medicine research after it suggested hair loss as possible symptom.

Hair loss, otherwise known as alopecia areata, is a common reaction to stress, and it is often a delayed response.

Currently, hair loss is not considered a symptom of long Covid by the NHS. At the moment, it lists fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, memory problems and insomnia.

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