The incidence of alopecia areata in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by hair loss caused by an inflammatory response that targets hair follicles. Based on a small number of previous studies, it was observed that the prevalence of AA has increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there is a scarcity of data regarding this occurrence. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the incidence of AA in COVID-19 patients with a previous history of hospitalization. This cross-sectional descriptive study included 384 confirmed COVID-19 patients (positive polymerase chain reaction test) who were admitted to our institute hospital, between April 2020 and April 2021. The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 26, and a significance level of 0.05 was considered. The mean age of the patients was 44.66 ± 14.09 years, and 167 (43.5%) were men. Fifteen patients developed AA, which accounted for 3.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.2; 6.4%) of the total patients. The mean time interval between COVID-19 and AA development was 5.07 ± 1.59 weeks. Nail involvement was observed in 4 (26.7%) of these patients, while body hair involvement was observed in 6 (40%). Logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically significant correlation between AA and age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.917, 95% CI = 0.860; 0.977, P = 0.008), methotrexate use (aOR = 21.184, 95% CI = 1.110; 404.136, P = 0.042), diabetes (aOR = 12.502, 95% CI = 1.154; 135.414, P = 0.038), Down syndrome (aOR = 54.004, 95% CI = 2.914; 1000.730, P = 0.007), and anxiety (aOR = 34.305, 95% CI = 1.372; 857.498, P = 0.031). This study found that approximately 4% of patients, who were previously hospitalized with COVID-19, developed AA, which was associated with young age, methotrexate use, diabetes, Down syndrome, and anxiety.